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Vice President Biden
Consults with NATO Allies on Afghanistan
On March 10,
Vice President Joseph Biden visited NATO
Headquarters in Brussels to consult with NATO Allies on
Afghanistan and Pakistan, and to ensure their views help
inform the strategic review ordered by President Obama.
In his opening remarks to the to the
North Atlantic Council (NAC), Vice President Biden
said, “What we want to learn is what your countries
believe is working, what you think is not working, how
we can do a better job in stopping Afghanistan and
Pakistan from being a haven for terrorists. And the
United States believes that we share a vital security
interest in meeting that challenge.”
Vice President Biden shared with Allies some of the
factors shaping U.S. thinking, including the requirement
to set clear and achievable goals: “We need to
look at Afghanistan and Pakistan together, because
success in one requires progress in the other; the
imperative of a comprehensive approach with a strong
civilian and diplomatic effort is necessary because we
know there is no purely military solution to either
Afghanistan or Pakistan; the centrality of building up
Afghan security forces – because our goal is not to stay
in Afghanistan, it's to be able to leave, and to leave
behind Afghan forces that can provide for the security
and safety of the people of Afghanistan; and the need to
ensure the security and legitimacy in this year's
presidential elections.”
After the NAC meeting, at a joint press conference with
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Vice
President Biden said that his visit was just the
beginning of the consultative process with Allies.
Vice President Biden also met with leaders of the EU and
with representatives from non-NATO members of the
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the
NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.
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 NATO
Foreign Ministers Meet in Brussels
On March 5, in her first visit to NATO Headquarters in
Brussels, Secretary Clinton joined Allied Foreign
Ministers for informal talks on a broad range of issues
in the run-up to
NATO's 60th Anniversary Summit in early April. Two
of the main issues discussed were the situation in
Afghanistan and
NATO-Russia relations.
Secretary Clinton called for a high-level international
conference to map a new strategy for Afghanistan. “We
presented the idea of what is being called a big-tent
meeting, with all parties who have a stake and an
interest in Afghanistan. That would obviously include
NATO members, ISAF members – many of whom are not NATO
members – donors, nations that have regional, strategic,
and transit positions vis-à-vis Afghanistan,
international organizations,” Secretary Clinton said.
Subsequently, the
Dutch government announced that it will host this
one-day meeting at The Hague on March 31. The conference
will be chaired by the UN and the governments of the
Netherlands and Afghanistan will be co-chairs.
Additionally, NATO Ministers agreed to resume the
NATO-Russia Council as a forum to discuss areas
where the Allies and Russia agree and to address
subjects of strong disagreement. In remarks to the press, Secretary Clinton said, “It’s time to explore a fresh
start. We can and must find ways to work constructively
with Russia where we share areas of common interest,
including helping the people of Afghanistan, arms
control and nonproliferation, counter-piracy and counternarcotics and addressing threats posed by Iran
and North Korea.”
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U.S.-Russia Relations
 Secretary
Clinton and Russian FM Lavrov Discuss “Resetting” U.S.-Russia
Relations
Following her meeting with NATO
Foreign Ministers in Brussels, Secretary Clinton traveled to
Geneva, Switzerland to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov to discuss a range of issues including arms control,
cooperating on Middle East peace, stabilizing Afghanistan, and
confronting Iran’s nuclear aspirations. As with the NATO Foreign
Ministers meeting, an important aspect of the meeting was to
begin establishing a relationship with Russia that will allow
the U.S. and Russia to work constructively on areas of common
concern. After the meeting, Secretary Clinton said that she was
pleased to have the opportunity to begin the discussion of
“resetting” U.S.-Russia relations, a process that will take
time, and that, “Where we can agree, like our position on the
START treaty and nonproliferation, we are prepared to get to
work. … And where we have differences, we are keeping those on
the list because we think through closer cooperation and
building trust in each other we can even tackle some of those
differences.”
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NATO
 “Des
nouvelles merveilleuses”: U.S. and NATO Welcome French
Reintegration to NATO Military Command
On March 11, French
President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that France should
reintegrate into the
NATO military command structure. In 1966, France
withdrew from the military command structure but
maintained its presence in the political decision making
committees of NATO, including the
North Atlantic Council (NAC). Even while not
integrated into the NATO military command structure,
France has been an important political Ally within NATO
and continues to make crucial contributions to NATO
operations and missions. The U.S. welcomed President
Sarkozy’s announcement: “Des nouvelles merveilleuses –
marvelous news,” said Gordon Duguid, State Department
Acting Deputy Spokesman. He added that France has been
“one of the most active military members of the
Alliance” and “the United States stands ready to
facilitate France’s reentry in any way that the French
find helpful.” While noting that the French Parliament
must still state its position on the issue, NATO
Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer also “warmly
welcomed” President Sarkozy’s choice and said France’s
“full participation in all the civil and military
decision-making and planning processes cannot but
strengthen the Alliance further, in my view. I think it
will also open up new prospects for a more solid,
confident and complementary relationship between NATO
and the EU.”
Video Message
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Ambassador Volker on Secretary Clinton’s
first visit to NATO, NATO-Russia relations,
and consulting with Allies on Afghanistan
Video
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Transcript |
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Afghanistan
 Afghan
Security Forces Shoulder More Responsibility
A key part of the U.S. and
NATO strategy in Afghanistan is training and enabling
Afghan Security Forces to provide for Afghanistan’s own
security. In a recent press conference, the U.S.
commanding officer in charge of training, Army
Major General Richard Formica, discussed the
progress that the 80,000-strong
Afghan National Army (ANA) is making and observed
that it is increasingly taking the lead in operations.
Appearing with General Formica, who assumed command of
Combined Security
Transition Team Afghanistan (CSTC-A) in November
2008, was Canadian army
Brigadier General Alan Howard, assistant commanding
general for ANA development. General Howard said the ANA
has undergone an “amazing evolution,” has garnered the
respect of the local populace and continues to expand
its capabilities. “They're also extremely well respected
by the local population,” he said. “Each time I'm out
with them, I am simply amazed on the interface that they
have with the locals.” General Howard also noted that
the ANA is focused on growing to 134,000 soldiers by
December 2011.
more
 Afghan
Women Celebrate Culture, Achievements at Women’s Day Event
An important area of progress in
Afghanistan has been women’s rights and freedom. On March 8, in
the Bazarak district of Afghanistan’s Panjshir province, more
than 100 Afghan women and girls came together to recognize their
accomplishments and culture during an International Women’s Day
celebration. The event was organized by the Panjshir director of
women’s affairs and featured a series of speakers who
highlighted economic, political and social challenges, as well
as accomplishments of the valley’s women. “Panjshir has very
smart women,” Deputy Governor Abdul Kabiri said. “They are
working beside the men for the development of society. With
education, we can have doctors and teachers. … Our society needs
everything.” U.S. women soldiers also participated in the event.
U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Dawn Allison-Hess of the
Panjshir
Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) spoke to the gathering
and shared a similarity between Afghan and American women: “The
reason I can stand before you as a woman serving in the U.S.
military is because of the hard work, sacrifice and dedication
of countless women who came before me,” she said. “I am grateful
for their dedication, as I know your daughters and
granddaughters will be grateful to you for selflessly striving
to secure their futures.”
more
 All-Female
Marine Team Conducts First Mission in Southern
Afghanistan
Engaging with the local
population is a key aspect of the international
community’s mission to bring security and development to
Afghanistan. Due to cultural sensitivities, however, it
can be difficult for male soldiers to interact with
Afghan women. To address this challenge, an all-female
U.S. Marine team has been formed and deployed to
southern Afghanistan. Marine Corps 2nd Lt. Johanna
Shaffer, the team leader, said their first mission was
very successful and that the team was accepted by both
the men and women in the village where they conducted a
cordon-and search operation. “If the women know we are
here to help them, they will likely pass that on to
their children,” she said. “If the children have a
positive perspective of Alliance forces, they will be
less likely to join insurgent groups or participate in
insurgent activities.”
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