Downing Street Says » Meeting with NATO Secretary General

» Thursday, November 12, 2009

Meeting with NATO Secretary General

The Prime Minister’s Spokesman (PMS) said the Prime Minister had congratulated the NATO Secretary General on establishing himself quickly in his new role. Their discussion focused on Afghanistan and there was complete agreement that the international community needed to continue to show resolve. The mission remained critical to preventing Al-Qauda using Afghanistan as a base for terrorist attacks. They also discussed recent political developments, particularly President Karzai using his second term to take action on a range of corruption and governance issues. In terms of security, the Prime Minister and the Secretary General agreed that work needed to be done now to establish a gradual coordinated NATO process of handing over lead responsibility and security to the Afghans in certain districts starting from next year.

Asked if the Americans were showing resolve in Afghanistan in terms of the advice of their Ambassador and the feelings of President Obama, the PMS said it was not for him to comment on the exchange of correspondence between the President and their Ambassador in Kabul. The Americans were in the lead in terms of troop numbers in Afghanistan; the US was a key member of the allied forces and we were expecting a decision regarding troop numbers from the White House shortly. The Prime Minister and the President had been in close touch about Afghanistan over the last few months.

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