Italian Foreign Minister Holds Firm on Afghan Mission

Afghanistan is high on the agenda of an EU foreign ministers' meeting, taking place in Brussels on 22 January. Italy's Foreign Minister, Massimo D'Alema, is under particular pressure as green and communist members of his country's governing coalition are seeking a pull-out of Italy's 1,800 strong contingent in the country.

The Greens and 'Radical Left' are threatening to vote against the mission in the Italian Parliament. They are angry that PM Romano Prodi recently approved the extension of a US military base in Vicenza (northern Italy), and so threatening to withdraw support on delicate issues such as Afghanistan.

D'Alema is, however, strongly opposed to a pull-out, which he says would damage Italy's reputation on the world arena. "Leaving Afghanistan, to which the  UN and EU are committed, and where no other country is backing a pull-out, would not be a political act but a denial of our political role and a choice that would isolate us," D'Alema told his centre-left party in a speech on Saturday.

EU Justice Commissioner, Franco Frattini, also hit out at the Radical Left, saying any withdrawal would be like giving the keys of the country to the terrorists and traffickers. He stressed that the mission had not only helped topple the Taliban but also led to a 60% fall in drugs production in the first three years. "It's easy to talk about a withdrawal while sipping a glass of champagne in a Roman lounge," added Frattini. "But you need to understand the country to see that leaving Afghanistan would lead to at least a doubling of drug production."

NATO commanders in Aghanistan have long been calling for more reinforcements, especially in the volatile Helmand province in the south of the country. Head of NATO forces in Afghanistan, General David Richards told the Guardian newspaper 22 January: "I am concerned that NATO nations will assume the same level of risk in 2007, believing they can get away with it. They might, but it's a dangerous assumption to believe the same ingredients will exist this year as they did last... We must apply ourselves more energetically for one more year in order to win."

D'Alema is due to meet US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice on 26 January, on the fringes of a council meeting of NATO foreign ministers. For his part, Afghan President Hamid Karzai is due to visit Rome on February 16/17, ahead of a UN donors conference in April.

WaluEurope,
22 January 2007