No NATO has not failed says Admiral Di Paola (NATO)
At least, that's what Italian Admiral Gianpaolo Di Paola, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, defends in the columns of La Repubblica : " The mission in Afghanistan is not a failure, but all countries must do more, including Italy. » « There is a tendency today to assert that NATO has failed. It's wrong. If it is said to have failed, then the UN, the European Union, the World Bank, the IMF and the NGOs have also failed.»
The new US strategy will not be a revolution. « We must be patient and wait for the announcement of the American strategy. I don't think we should expect a revolution. (There is) need for a global and collective commitment of the international community. This is a strategy already formulated by the Alliance; but which in the end had not been translated into action. The solution to the Afghan problem will pass not only through security in the military sense but also through governance and the reconstruction of the country's institutions and economy. »
Do everything so that Afghanistan does not become a breeding ground for terrorism. " 2009 will be a fundamental year for Afghanistan, the reinforcement of troops is necessary there. (…) I think that the mission in Afghanistan can come to an end. I think we can prevent the country from turning into a breeding ground for international terrorists. In this sense, we can overcome. But it is obvious that a purely military solution does not exist »
Support Pakistan but not intervene in Pakistan. « You cannot stabilize Afghanistan without also stabilizing Pakistan. This is why the Pakistani government needs the support of the international community and must be able to control its western provinces. “NATO will not intervene beyond the Afghan borders. I believe that the Pakistani government is determined to act and that it has the means to do so. It can request bilateral assistance from any Western country, that is quite possible. »
(translated by Floriane Pellegrin)
