Nato stresses commitment to Afghanistan
Nato leaders resumed their summit in Riga, Latvia, today with a pledge to stay the course in Afghanistan despite mounting casualties and the continued refusal of some governments to send their troops into combat in the most dangerous regions.
Nato officials said they received assurances at the leaders’ dinner last night that all would allow their troops in the 32,800-strong allied stabilisation force to come to the aid of allied units in trouble anywhere in country.
The top allied commander, Gen James Jones, said allies had given other commitments to reduce “caveats” restricting the use of their troops in Afghanistan, and officials said at least three nations offered to send more troops.
But beyond emergency rescue operations, Germany, France, Italy and Spain insisted their troops would not be joining the British, Canadian, Dutch and American troops on the front line of the battle with the resurgent Taliban in the south and east.
“This has been our clear position from the beginning,” Italian Premier Romano Prodi told journalists after the dinner last night.
“That also goes for the French president, the German chancellor and the Spanish.”
