By Nigel Chamberlain, NATO Watch
In his opening remarks, Secretary General Rasmussen said that the 2014 NATO Summit in the United Kingdom “will be a critical opportunity to take stock of our ongoing work, including in Afghanistan, and to look to the future”. Preparations for next year’s elections in Afghanistan are well-advanced and they must be seen to be transparent, inclusive and credible. And by the end of 2014, Afghan soldiers and police will be fully in charge of securing their own country.
The Summit will also be an opportunity to strengthen the Alliance and keep it ready to deal with modern security challenges. It will reaffirm the vital transatlantic bond and it will further enhance partnerships, which are key to future success in a world where risks cross borders. For example, NATO partners have supported the work in Kosovo and Afghanistan and a Ukrainian frigate has joining Operation Ocean Shield, fighting piracy off the Horn of Africa. NATO is also working with partners to improve governance and democratic oversight in the defence sector.
Steadfast Jazz, next month’s exercise in Poland and the Baltic States will test NATO Response Force’s readiness “to deploy anywhere and deal with any threat”. NATO’s partners, Ukraine and Finland, will participate in this exercise. Another partner, Georgia, is expected to join the Response Force in 2015. 2014 will mark twenty years since the foundation of the Partnership for Peace and Mediterranean Dialogue Initiatives and ten years since the launch of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative. “All these initiatives have borne fruit. But there is more that they can do.”
There follows edited highlights from the Q&A session.
Q1. Reuters: Your reaction to President Karzai's interview with the BBC this week in which he said that the entire NATO exercise is one that caused Afghans a lot of suffering, a lot of loss of life and no gains because the country is not secure?
A1. Secretary General: Response avoided the question.
Q2. Nawab Khan from the Kuwait News Agency: How do you see the situation developing in Syria now, after the start of the destruction of its chemical weapons arsenal?
A2. Secretary General: I urge the Syrian authorities, as well as other parties involved, to do all they can to assist the United Nations and the OPCW in carrying out their important task to ensure full elimination of all chemical weapons in Syria, within the timeframe that has been outlined in the UN Security Council resolution. It is a matter of concern to see that fighting continues in Syria. There is no military solution to the conflict in Syria. We need a political settlement.
Q3. Teri Schultz with NPR and CBS: The Libyan Government has asked NATO for help in reinforcing its security structures and NATO was looking at what it could do. And do you think perhaps something should have been done more quickly when you see what happened today? And secondly, I know the US mission has had to furlough a few employees because of the shutdown. How concerned are you that the US Government shutdown will soon be impacting American contributions to NATO?
A3. Secretary General: We have been exploring Libya’s request for quite some time and we're still looking into it. It's for the Libyan authorities to decide whether, and when, they want external assistance to help build a credible security sector in Libya. I'm not going to interfere with a domestic political debate in the US. I have noted with satisfaction that it seems that US Armed Forces are exempt from that shutdown and so far we haven't seen any negative impact on US contributions to NATO-led operations.
Q4. Morten Crone, Berlingske: Ahead of the EU Eastern Partnership Summit a lot of pressure is building on countries like Ukraine. Do you see Ukraine as a future NATO member?
A4. Secretary General: We fully respect that each and every nation has the right to choose its partners and alliances freely. At the NATO Summit in 2008 in Bucharest we stated that Ukraine will become a member of NATO, provided the Ukraine so wishes and provided that Ukraine fulfils the necessary criteria. Since then, the new political leadership in Ukraine has stated that Ukraine will pursue a non-bloc policy and continue its partnership with NATO within the NATO-Ukraine Commission.
Q5. ANSA News Agency: Your reaction to the kidnap of the Libyan Prime Minister?
A5. Secretary General: If it's confirmed that Prime Minister Zeidan has been abducted I call for his immediate release. It is of utmost importance that stability and rule of law is fully respected in Libya.
Q6. Brooks Tigner, Jane's Defence: When you say you have to take into account recent developments in Libya, do you mean that you need to reflect those developments in your offer to Libya, or is that a reference to NATO's willingness to offer its aid to the country? And I don't quite understand what the status is right now. You've made your offer, you're waiting a response from Libya, or you don't know who your interlocutors are, or they haven't made up their mind, or what?
A6. Secretary General: The status is very clear. We have received a request, we sent an expert team to Tripoli. We are now considering the request as to how we could possibly assist in a way that adds value, in coordination with national actors as well as other international organizations like the United Nations and the EU. Of course, there must be some consideration of how the current security situation will impact on any possible NATO assistance.
Q7. AFP: Are you still concerned by Turkey's decision to buy a missile defence system from a Chinese firm? And have you been in contact with Ankara on this issue recently?
A7. Secretary General: Let me stress that it is a national decision to acquire military equipment. It is, of course, also of utmost importance within an Alliance that not only our armed forces, but also our military equipment can work and operate together. And I'm confident that the Turkish authorities are aware of that.
