Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay Visits Kandahar

[Bruce Monkhouse]

  http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/05/09/1570337-cp.html
 
MacKay visits Cdn troops in Kandahar
By BOB WEBER
 
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (CP) - Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay landed in Kandahar Tuesday morning in a surprise visit to Canadian troops as public support for their mission in Afghanistan seems to be slipping.

His two-day visit comes as public opinion polls in Canada suggest a slight majority of Canadians now oppose their country's involvement in the war-shattered country - even as Afghan leaders have said they intend to ask MacKay to extend Canada's deployment. "Yes, I will ask that," Assadullah Khalid, governor of Kandahar province, said Monday. "We want (Canadians) to stay longer until the time we have rebuilt Afghanistan."

MacKay told reporters in Kandahar that he will reassure Afghan officials that Canada is in their country until security is established.
"We've had a debate in the Parliament of Canada - the commitment is to finish the job," he said. "The commitment is not defined in terms of years, it's defined in terms of its success and we feel that progress is being made and we're here . . . to see that the work is going to be completed."

During his visit, MacKay will visit with troops at both the main coalition base at Kandahar Air Field and the smaller Camp Nathan Smith in downtown Kandahar, where the provincial reconstruction team is based. MacKay is also slated to meet with Afghan government officials in both Kandahar and Kabul, the capital.
Canada's current commitment to Afghanistan runs out in February 2007. Recent polls have suggested that public support in Canada for the mission is fading.

But MacKay shrugged off those results.
"Polls will change, polls go up and down," he said.
"I think the important message that we're here to bring is that Canadians are behind their soldiers, they're very much behind the effort.

"They want to see democracy flourish, they want to see the fruits of this labour - and that is that young Afghans are now in school, hospitals are being built, people are on the ground doing important humanitarian work, all coming about as a result of the soldiers from all nations who are working together."
Khalid said his country needs long-term help. "I think it will be long," he said.
He also suggested that more Canadian and other foreign troops may be needed.

Khalid warned that the last time western troops left Afghanistan too early - after the Russians were driven out - the Taliban rushed in to fill the vacuum.
"After fighting the Russians, the world forgot about us and everyone knows what was the result," he said.
"I don't want this to happen again. I'm sure it will not happen again."

Taliban activity has been increasing in Afghanistan's southern provinces in recent weeks. Coalition commanders acknowledge an increase in the number of suicide and roadside bombers, and observers say the Taliban have been moving more freely in the rural areas.
Khalid, however, insisted the situation was under control.
"Six weeks ago we had some incidents," he said. "The situation is OK now. It's under control and getting better day by day. (The Taliban) haven't controlled anywhere in Kandahar."

Khalid praised the actions of Canadian troops in his province. In addition to increasing security, they are also helping rebuild the country.
"They are helping us with reconstruction, which Afghan people will never forget - never."
Khalid said his government planned to double the number of Afghan National Police, who have often found themselves on the front lines against the Taliban.

He acknowledged that Afghans are growing impatient for the government of President Hamid Karzai to create concrete improvements in the daily lives of the country's citizens.
"Afghanistan is destroyed," he said. "It is suffering from 30 years of fighting.
"It is not feasible to fix everything in one day. If it happened to you, you would be in a hurry too."

Fifteen Canadian soldiers and one Canadian diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002, when Canadian troops first arrived here.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

http://sympaticomsn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060509/mackay_kandahar_060509

Updated: Tue. May. 9 2006 8:49 AM ET

Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay landed in Kandahar this morning for the start of a two-day surprise visit to Canadian troops in Afghanistan.

MacKay's trip comes as recent opinion polls suggest that a slight majority of Canadians now oppose their country's involvement in Afghanistan.

Despite the dip in the polls, MacKay told reporters in Kandahar that Canada is committed to the mission -- however long it takes.

"The commitment is not defined in terms of years, it's defined in terms of its success and we feel that progress is being made and we're here ... to see that the work is going to be completed.''

The current Canadian mission ends in February 2007.

CTV's Janis Mackey Frayer, reporting from Kandahar, said that when asked whether Canadian troops would go beyond that date, "MacKay said there would certainly be some debates in the House of Commons."

Assadullah Khalid, governor of Kandahar province, has already said he will ask MacKay to extend Canada's deployment.

"We want (Canadians) to stay longer until the time we have rebuilt Afghanistan," Khalid said on Monday.

He said that the last time western troops left Afghanistan too early, after the Russians were driven out, the Taliban moved in.

"After fighting the Russians, the world forgot about us and everyone knows what was the result," he said. "I don't want this to happen again. I'm sure it will not happen again."

Taliban rebels have increased their attacks against coalition troops in recent weeks. Several Canadian soldiers have been killed and injured in the bombings.

Since Canadian troops first arrived in Afghanistan in 2002, 15 Canadian soldiers and one Canadian diplomat have been killed.

Meanwhile, recent polls suggest a growing number of Canadians oppose the Canadian mission.

Last week, a Strategic Counsel poll conducted for CTV and The Globe and Mail found that 54 per cent of Canadians oppose the deployment -- up 13 percentage points from a similar poll conducted in mid-March.

Of those, 23 per cent are strongly opposed -- an increase of eight percentage points from the previous survey.

Opposition is strongest among residents of Quebec, where 70 per cent of respondents said they were opposed to sending troops to Afghanistan. That is compared to 53 per cent in mid-March.

MacKay rejected the poll results, saying they often fluctuate. But he said the important message to troops in Afghanistan is that they have support back home.

"They want to see democracy flourish, they want to see the fruits of this labour -- and that is that young Afghans are now in school, hospitals are being built, people are on the ground doing important humanitarian work, all coming about as a result of the soldiers from all nations who are working together.''

MacKay will visit with troops in Kandahar at the main coalition base at the Kandahar Air Field, as well as at the smaller Camp Nathan Smith. He will also meet with Afghan government officials in Kandahar and Kabul.

With files from The Canadian Press

 

[17thRecceSgt]

Nice to see that our current governing party is actually going to the spots the troops are in...I think so atleast.

 

[George Wallace]

Just saw a piece on the 6pm news.  Peter MacKay took along a bunch of Opposition MPs for this visit.  If you are in a later time zone, check out the short spiele from Alexa McDunna of the NDP......"it seems that the emphasis is more on Security, than Reconstruction."  Right!  Perhaps we should leave her over there for an 'Extended Tour' so she can get more of a feel for the land.  :

 

[geo]

I'm sure the troops appreceate all the additional visitors.

 

[17thRecceSgt]

Security more than reconstruction Alexa?

Now...(standard pause of "2...3") just WHY do you think that MAY be?

(insert Jeopardy music here)

I like it, that even the Opposite MPs are there...nice "purple" support by the Fed Gov for our troops?  Regardless of THEIR motives...I still like it. 

Hey George, doesn't Minister MacKay have an email addy?  Maybe we could "request" he leave the former leader of the NDP there to "gain additional knowledge and insight".  Maybe the next 12 day "stint" they do, she can tag along.  After all, Lisa Laflamme was able to do it..including humping up the hills too.  Couple of IEDs and some contacts might be 'nuff explaination about the security focus??

;D

 

[Korus]

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2006/05/10/1573224-cp.html

MacKay: Afghan mission may take longer
By BOB WEBER

KABUL (CP) - Restoring democracy and a semblance of normal life in Afghanistan may take longer than anticipated, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay admitted Wednesday after a two-day trip to the war-shattered country.

MacKay also questioned reports of growing instability in the south, saying increased bombings may be the result of coalition forces moving into formerly Taliban-controlled areas.

After meeting Wednesday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Rangeen Spanta, MacKay acknowledged he's returning to Canada with a message of caution about efforts to rebuild the country.

"With all the achievements that we have seen, there is a need for a longer-term plan and a commitment," MacKay said.

"We recognize that it is going to take perhaps a longer period of time than was first envisioned."

Canada's commitment of troops to Afghanistan runs out in February 2007. Afghan officials such as the governor of Kandahar province, where almost all of the 2,300 Canadian troops in the country are based, pressed MacKay to keep the soldiers on the ground longer, perhaps for years.

Although the subject came up with Karzai, MacKay said specific time frames were not discussed.


MacKay also urged patience with Canada's involvement in economic aid.

Although Canada's commitment of $100 million in development assistance to Afghanistan makes it the country's largest donor, the military presence in the south dwarfs that of civilian development workers. Camp Nathan Smith, home of the provincial reconstruction team, houses only a handful of workers from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and other non-military workers.

"All the wheels are in the right place and they're turning," said MacKay. "They may not turn as quickly as some people would like. There is a certain degree of patience required."

Taliban activity has been increasing in Afghanistan's southern provinces. Coalition commanders acknowledge an increase in the number of suicide and roadside bombers, and observers say the Taliban have been moving more freely in the rural areas.

Still, MacKay disputed the assertion that the increased violence suggests the Taliban are gaining ground or growing bolder.

"I would disagree that things are unstable in the south," he said. "You're going to see more insurgents at various times. It will ebb and flow like the tide."

MacKay suggested that the reason there have been more attacks in recent weeks is that coalition forces are moving more strongly into areas that were once controlled by the Taliban. The British are in the process of moving more than 3,000 soldiers into Helmand province, immediately to the west of Kandahar, and the Dutch are taking control of Uruzgan to the north, where no coalition troops have previously been stationed.

"Sometimes the increase in insurgency is the recognition that the Taliban may be on the run and we are moving into territories that they are feeling more threatened," MacKay said.

Earlier in the day, MacKay visited a school in Kabul partly funded by $13,500 from CIDA, designed to create alternatives for children whose only previous livelihood was found on the streets.

The Aschiana School, one of six in Afghanistan, teaches about 100 children from age six to 18 in subjects ranging from reading and writing to health and English. The school also offers vocational training, including courses on plumbing, embroidery, art and music.

"We're not going to save them all, but every little drop fills the bucket," said Sigrid de Jong, the school's acting director.

And I could have really sworn we'd have solved all the problems by 2007 too.