Energy News  
Analysis: NATO must engage Obama and Iran

US military chief favors regional approach including Iran
The US military chief said Tuesday he favors a regional approach to Afghanistan that would include neighboring Iran, despite problems posed by Tehran's nuclear ambitions. Admiral Michael Mullen's remarks echo similar statements this month by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and General David Petraeus, the commander of US forces in the Middle East. "With respect to Afghanistan, a regional approach is critical," said Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Iran, as a bordering state, plays a role as well and to the degree that we are able to dialogue with them and find some mutual interests, there is a potential there for moving ahead together but I really leave that to the diplomats," he said. "Iran is unhelpful in many, many ways, so I wouldn't be overly optimistic at this point but there are mutual interests that I think might offer some possibilities," he said. The United States, which has had no diplomatic relations with Tehran for three decades, accuses Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons. President Barack Obama nevertheless on Monday reaffirmed his intention to open discussions with Iran and extend a hand to the Islamic Republic if its leaders "unclenched their fist." Mullen said the Obama administration has still not taken the military option against Iran off the table, but said "I believe it's got to be last resort."
by Leander Schaerlaeckens
Brussels (UPI) Jan 27, 2009
NATO's European member states will have to find more creative solutions for meeting operational needs and supporting the United States in Afghanistan, and Iran will have to be engaged if long-term stability is to be reached in the region, said NATO's chief.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer made his first speech since the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama at the Security & Defense Agenda think tank in Brussels Monday.

De Hoop Scheffer spoke frankly about the need for EU members to support the Obama administration in its renewed focus on the war in Afghanistan and his hopes for the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ahead of a key summit in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, in April and months before his final term comes to an end later this year.

"When Washington calls, Europe should have a unified answer, backed up with the resources to match," de Hoop Scheffer said. "If Europeans expect that the United States will close Guantanamo, sign up to climate change treaties, accept EU leadership on key issues but provide nothing more in return, for example in Afghanistan, than encouragement, they should think again. It simply won't work like that."

De Hoop Scheffer reiterated longstanding appeals to EU contributors to drop caveats on troop deployments in Afghanistan and allow for better coordination.

"I welcome the intention by the United States to send more troops to the mission," he said of Obama's intention to add 30,000 soldiers to the 62,000-strong NATO International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan. "It will help us to hold where we couldn't until now, block off infiltration, and let development take root. But I cannot accept that the U.S. has to do all of the extra heavy lifting. Europe, too, has to step up with more forces, and where that is not forthcoming, then with substantially more on the civilian side.

"It is not enough to lament helicopter shortfalls in Afghanistan, yet shy away from creative solutions that could help to overcome these shortfalls," de Hoop Scheffer said. "At a time when the whole world is facing economic hardship, calling for more resources for security might seem like swimming upstream. But it remains true that security is the foundation for economic confidence. A more innovative approach on how to fund operations is necessary."

De Hoop Scheffer reaffirmed his belief that progress is being made in Afghanistan. "I do not share the doom and gloom from which some seem to suffer about this effort," he said. "I don't deny the challenges. They are huge. But it has only been eight years since the Taliban was toppled. When I saw an Afghan fellow pull out his Apple iPhone in Kabul, while I was talking on my 5-year-old NATO mobile, I saw another symbol of progress."

But more engagement with Afghanistan's neighboring countries is pivotal. "We need to stop looking at Afghanistan as if it were an island," de Hoop Scheffer said. "Afghanistan's problems cannot be solved by, or within, Afghanistan alone, because they are not Afghanistan's problems alone. There is a regional network of extremists, including, yes, the Taliban and al-Qaida, but also many others, which respects borders no more than they respect human rights and the rule of law.

"To my mind, we need a discussion that brings in all the relevant regional players: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Russia and, yes, Iran," he said. "If you talk about a real regional approach, you cannot … (exclude) Iran. If you look at the history of Afghanistan, you see that Afghanistan over the years has always been the sort of country where other nations played power games. Iran is a factor in Afghanistan. I know when I launch a suggestion about a regional approach, including Iran, that some people might have to swallow once or twice. But I think that at a certain stage we might have to find a formula that includes Iran."

De Hoop Scheffer also expressed hope that the upcoming summit will be used not just for "self-congratulatory statements" or as a "get-to-know-you session with a new U.S. president" but as a platform to modernize NATO.

Through a "Declaration on Alliance Security," de Hoop Scheffer hopes to confirm and expand NATO's "fundamentals" and "core purpose."

These expanded goals would include fighting cyber-terrorism and close cooperation with Russia in combating piracy on common energy-transportation routes. "Piracy, long believed to have been eradicated, is back as a major international concern -- and in more than just one essential maritime route on which our trade and oil and gas supplies depend," he said. "This is not Johnny Depp with a parrot on his shoulder -- this is (rocket-propelled grenade)-wielding thugs threatening sea lanes on which our energy supplies depend."

De Hoop Scheffer further said he hopes NATO once again will become, as it was during the Cold War, a platform for allies to conduct political consultations to ensure that everyone is "on the same page," even on issues not concerning NATO proper.

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Clinton urges Iran to show "willingness to engage" in talks
Washington (AFP) Jan 26, 2009
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday urged Iran to show "willingness to engage meaningfully" with the world community and said a US envoy would join multilateral talks next week on Iran's disputed nuclear program.







  • China's oil product imports more than doubled in 2008: state media
  • Outside View: Save offshore drilling ban
  • Geoengineering Could Complement Mitigation To Cool The Climate
  • Renewable Energy Leading Source Of New Electric Generating Capacity In USA

  • Nuclear Fusion-Fission Hybrid Could Contribute To Carbon-Free Energy Future
  • Siemens gives up stake in Areva
  • Siemens planning to give up stake in Areva: source
  • Russia May Build Belarus Nuclear Plant Without Tender

  • Science In The Stratosphere
  • Americans Owe Five Months Of Their Lives To Cleaner Air
  • Does Global Warming Lead To A Change In Upper Atmospheric Transport
  • Greenhouse gas emissions study released

  • Tree Deaths Have Doubled Across The Western US
  • New Study Links Western Tree Mortality To Warming Temperatures, Water Stress
  • Wood worth more than money at Mexican market
  • Philippines orders South Korean firm to design hotel around trees

  • U.S. honey producers question imports
  • World must double food production by 2050: FAO chief
  • Sierra Leone mans defences against army worm invasion
  • Nile Delta Fishery Grows Dramatically

  • Plan unveiled for electric car charging network in Denmark
  • Children, cell phones and traffic don't mix: study
  • Honda slashes output again -- but boosts China
  • Automakers take a U-turn and welcome tighter emission standards

  • New Turbines Can Cut Fuel Consumption For Business Jets
  • Air China expects to post 'significant loss' for 2008
  • Nations demand climate plan from air, maritime industries
  • Cathay defers completion of new cargo terminal due to downturn

  • Nuclear Power In Space - Part 2
  • Outside View: Nuclear future in space
  • Nuclear Power In Space

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement