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The truth is out:
Matthew Fisher, Ottawa Citizen, 30 Nov 06, page A6
Matthew Fisher, Ottawa Citizen, 30 Nov 06, page A6
Germany dodges call for troops: Harper's plea for Afghanistan reinforcements largely ignored
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RIGA, Latvia - Prime Minister Stephen Harper looked subdued and German Chancellor Angela Merkel was reportedly "ecstatic" at the end of the NATO summit yesterday after Germany successfully dodged demands from Canada and other allies that it provide more help to troops fighting the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.
The few countries to volunteer additional forces, such as Britain and Estonia, were, as Mr. Harper noted at a news conference after the summit ended, already committed to participating in combat operations in the south.
"Look, we're not going to kid you, the security situation remains a challenge in the south," the prime minister said after a closed three-hour session with other NATO leaders. "We still believe we are under-manned, but we're getting more forces all of the time, we're getting more flexibility from our NATO partners."
Canada's quest for more help in the south had only limited success at the two-day gathering, which ended with a predictable blitz of statements celebrating the alliance's cohesion and unity.
It was agreed that if NATO troops in Afghanistan found themselves in an emergency situation, the NATO commander could send troops from other NATO countries to their aid. However, helping out allies in distress has always been part of the NATO charter.
An undisclosed number of the more than 100 caveats that had prevented troops from some NATO countries from participating in combat operations or moving troops outside specific geographic areas were also eliminated.
But on the crucial demand by Canada, Britain, the U.S. and Holland that troops from others in the 26-country alliance join them and four smaller NATO members in the battle in Afghanistan's bloody south, there was very little movement and none by those nations with large armies such as Germany, Spain and Italy, whose troops are now deployed in relatively calm parts of the country.
"In the grand majority of cases, the caveats that have been softened have to do with emergencies and, obviously, we don't intend to be in an emergency," Mr. Harper said before boarding his plane back to Ottawa. "There is clearly still work to be done."
Asked what the new measures announced at the summit might mean for Canadian troops, who have done a disproportionate share of the fighting and dying in Afghanistan, the prime minister said: "It is difficult to project future casualties and future battles based on this summit."
Canada's anger before the summit has mostly been directed at Germany.
The reason may be partially explained by a story published yesterday on Der Spiegel's website.
The German news magazine reported that Berlin had refused several requests for its forces to come to the aid of NATO's embattled warriors in the south during the Canadian-led Operation Medusa in late August and early September. The missions Germany wanted no part of included deploying a medevac aircraft to the base where Canadians were located in Kandahar, allowing a drone aircraft to be used for reconnaissance of the area and having its special forces commandos deployed as forward air controllers to direct airstrikes against the Taliban across the south, the weekly said.
"Our goal was to stay in the north and that is exactly what we will be doing," a source close to the German delegation in Riga said yesterday.
The mood among the Germans after the summit was described as "ecstatic" and "satisfied" by different members of the delegation.
"We are well positioned with our mandate and there is no reason to change that mandate," Ms. Merkel was quoted by Der Spiegel as having told other NATO leaders when she spoke after Mr. Harper at a dinner on Tuesday night.
Ms. Merkel's fragile coalition government deliberately did not want spelled out what might actually constitute an emergency, Der Spiegel reported.
Furthermore, the magazine said the Germans wanted NATO to remain vague about whether emergencies might be declared that might involve "regularly sending German troops to the south for single missions conducted jointly with the U.S.A. or Canada."
However, alliance members will be told very soon exactly what their responsibilities will be if the NATO commander in Afghanistan declares an emergency, the top Canadian at NATO, Gen. Ray Henault, told reporters yesterday.
"Is 'in extremis' defined in everyone's mind?" the former Canadian chief of defence asked rhetorically. "We have to make sure it is so that there is no misunderstanding in the future. There is a definition of this in our doctrine and we are going to make sure everyone knows what it is."
Meanwhile, the question of getting NATO members to send additional combat forces to the south remains. "The south is still in need of reserves," Gen. Henault said. "At the dinner last night we asked countries to re-visit this issue."
Canada, Britain, the U.S. and Holland have borne most of the casualties in Afghanistan, with Canada having a casualty rate five times higher than the NATO average.