NATO tries to bridge divide on Afghanistan

[unhappycamper]

NATO tries to bridge divide on Afghanistan
By John Vandiver, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, April 3, 2008

BUCHAREST, Romania — In recent months, the tone has been tough. The words of warning have been fraught with potential ramifications for NATO operations in Afghanistan, where alliance in-fighting about troop level commitments has at least one nation threatening withdraw.

Canada, carrying a heavy burden in the volatile south, has cautioned that it needs more support from others in the alliance to stay in the fight. And in February, Defense Secretary Robert Gates offered his own critique, saying there are those “willing to fight and die to protect people’s security, and others who are not.”

This week, leaders from 26 NATO states are gathered in Romania, where they will attempt to bridge the divide on Afghanistan and confront an array of other hot-button, conflict-riddled issues.

In a pre-summit speech Wednesday morning in Bucharest, President Bush called on other allied nations to step up their efforts against terrorism. He insisted that nations “need to take this mission seriously,” saying it’s worth it for security and peace. The mission is too important to turn away from, and that failure could produce a safe haven for terrorists.

“If we do not defeat the terrorists in Afghanistan, we will face them on our own soil,” Bush said. “Innocent civilians in Europe and North America will pay the price.”


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=53789