The international conference on Afghanistan on right now in Kabul brings together more than 70 countries,international and regional organisations and financial institutions to support a plan for development,governance and stability. The meeting will result in a clear way forward for the transition to Afghan responsibility and ownership. In short,it will be a milestone in the process by which Afghans are finally becoming masters of their own house.
This new political momentum has not come about by happenstance. It is the result of a sustained effort both by Afghans and the international community to give this country a new lease on life. Afghanistan is finally moving in the right direction. Maybe the insurgents think they can wait us out,but we will stay for as long as it takes to finish our job. Our training of Afghan soldiers and police is ahead of schedule,and by next year there will be a 300,000-strong Afghan security force and it cant be waited out.
By sending 40,000 additional international troops,we have demonstrated our commitment to protecting the Afghan people by holding areas we have liberated from the insurgents. We are also finally taking the fight to the Taliban where it hurts them the most. Over the past months,the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force has launched military offensives into Taliban heartland Helmand and Kandahar.
These operations,in which the Afghan security forces play an important role,will inevitably lead to intensified fighting. Regrettably there will be more casualties. But these military actions are of tremendous political importance. They contribute to the marginalisation of the Taliban as a political and military force. And this will encourage many who joined the Taliban to quit their ranks and engage in the reconciliation effort.
Reconciliation,however,is no blank check. Renunciation of violence and respect for the Afghan Constitution,including womens rights,is a precondition for successful reintegration. The Afghan authorities know this,and we will keep reminding them.
The next important political step after the Kabul conference will be the parliamentary elections in September. Despite death threats,Afghans have voted several times since the fall of the Taliban regime. Nothing could illustrate better the desire of the Afghan people to take their future into their own hands. NATO-led forces will support these elections,but the overall responsibility for their security and their free and fair conduct will lie with the Afghans themselves.
All these developments point in the same direction: a gradual transition to Afghan lead. This transition will not be done on the basis of an artificial timetable. It will be done on the basis of clear assessments of the political and security situation in each area. Where and when we do it,it will be irreversible.
Starting the transition does not mean that the struggle for Afghanistans future as a stable country in a volatile region will be over. Afghanistan will need the continued support of the international community,including NATO. It is important that we send a clear message of long-term commitment. The Afghan population needs to know that we will continue to stand by them as they chart their own course into the future.
To underline this commitment,I believe that NATO should develop a long-term cooperation agreement with the Afghan government. We now have a new commander,General David Petraeus. But our strategy hasnt changed,because it is the right one. Our objective is clear: to ensure that Afghanistan does not again become a safe haven for terrorism.
We are building Afghans ability to resist terrorism and extremism on their own. We are changing the political conditions in the key strategic areas of Afghanistan; we are protecting the population; we are strengthening the capability of the elected government; and we are training the Afghan Army,to enable Afghanistan to look after its own security.
If we and our Afghan partners stick to our strategy and give it time to work,it will.
The writer is the secretary general of NATO
