Washington: NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he agreed with a grim assessment of the war in Afghanistan by the US commander there but stopped short of calling for more troops.
"Basically I share the views presented by General (Stanley) McChrystal," Rasmussen said when asked about a leaked report by the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
The general`s analysis recognizes there is no military solution to the war and calls for a "more comprehensive approach" that seeks to safeguard the population, Rasmussen said after a speech at the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank.
He said he was not ready to comment on McChrystal`s request for tens of thousands of additional troops to reinforce efforts to counter Islamist insurgents.
"It would be premature to make any judgment here and now as regards a resource request," he said.
"Now we have to go through his initial assessment and analysis, discuss it within the alliance, agree on the approach and then we can make a decision on resources," he said.
But he urged the NATO-led coalition to provide more advisers and funding to build up Afghan security forces which he said would pave the way for eventually scaling back the international military presence.
The NATO chief said that "we need more resources for our training mission in Afghanistan, to develop the capacity of the Afghan security forces."
Rasmussen`s visit to Washington comes at a pivotal moment as President Barack Obama`s advisers debate strategy in the eight-year-old war and a request from McChrytal for up to 40,000 additional troops.
The former Danish prime minister held talks earlier with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and was due to meet Obama on Tuesday.
With McChrystal`s report describing a Kabul government plagued by corruption, Rasmussen said the Afghan leadership had to be held more accountable by donors to fight corruption and deliver services to its people.
He called for a new "compact" between Kabul and the international community that would spell out the terms for aid.
In his speech, Rasmussen acknowledged declining public support in NATO countries for the war marked by the perception that the coalition was "not getting anywhere."
He said a new approach was required and that "things are going to have to change."
It was crucial to show evidence of a transition to Afghan leadership, with the Kabul government gradually taking responsibility for security, he said.
"Sooner rather than later the transition must begin," he said.
But he added his call was not a "run for the exits" and that "NATO would stay as long as it takes to succeed."
He strongly rejected criticism in the United States that allies were running from the fight in Afghanistan, saying Canada and European countries had deployed large numbers of troops and lost soldiers in battle.
"I will not accept from anyone the argument that the Europeans and the Canadians are not paying the price for success in Afghanistan. They are," he said.
He reminded his American audience that 35,000 non-US troops were deployed in Afghanistan, out of a force of about 100,000.
"If we are to succeed in Afghanistan, it will only be if we do it together."
Bureau Report
