NATO Secretary General's Efforts to Achieve Consensus Among Coalition Members in Afghanistan - 2004-01-06

The new Secretary General of NATO, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, announced that as the alliance prepares to take on a more significant role in Afghanistan, it will strive to create unity and consensus among coalition members in the country. Mr. Scheffer, a seasoned Dutch diplomat, emphasized on his first day in office that expanding NATO's role in Afghanistan is his top priority. He stated that the international community and the NATO defense alliance cannot and should not fail in their efforts to support the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Currently, 5,500 NATO troops are responsible for maintaining order and security in Kabul, but NATO officials intend to send more forces to other parts of Afghanistan to ensure stability. In another part of his remarks, Mr. Scheffer referred to the situation in Iraq, saying that any action regarding the recent U.S. proposal to send NATO troops to Iraq should be postponed until the political situation in that country stabilizes. While the U.S. insists on the necessity of a direct role for NATO in Iraq, it remains unclear whether Germany and France, which have been staunch opponents of the war in Iraq, will agree to such a move.