Salesmen for Afghanistan
Embassy, February 28th, 2007 By Lee Berthiaume
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Talking about an early Canadian withdrawal from Afghanistan encourages the insurgency and will only drag out the mission as Afghans wonder which side to support.
That was the message two Canadians, one working for the UN and the other NATO, brought to Ottawa as they testified on Parliament Hill and spoke before a who's-who of Canadian foreign and military policymakers yesterday.
"The major challenge for all of us today is to show resolve, to show will, and to demonstrate unity of effort," Christopher Alexander, deputy representative of UN secretary-general for Afghanistan, told members of the Standing Committee on National Defence.
"If we are rushing for the exit, if we are trying to cut things short, if we are flagging in our commitment to achieving the objectives...we will be giving comfort to the enemies of this transition and we will be undermining the achievements and the effort that is underway today to bring stability to Afghanistan."
Over the past year, Canada's role in Afghanistan has been the subject of heated debate across the country.
Canada has committed $1.2 billion to reconstruction efforts within the Central Asian country through to 2011, including $200 million announced by the government on Monday. At the same time, about 2,500 Canadian soldiers are operating in Afghanistan, with the government committed to staying until at least 2009.
While the Conservative government has stood firm on Canada's commitments to Afghanistan, opposition parties have called for everything from a shift away from combat operations towards reconstruction to outright withdrawal.
With such divisions, there was a perception that Mr. Alexander and NATO spokesman James Appathurai, both of whom will be in Toronto today for more presentations, are in the country to sell the mission's progress.
"Afghanistan will not succeed unless countries like Canada remain committed," Mr. Alexander said when asked whether he was in Canada to shore up support for the mission.
"We hope to continue a debate and show people that the past five years...have yielded a result," he added. "And if we're prepared to make more investments, than we will make more progress."
During their presentation to the defence committee, the two men said the mission will take a long time, with Mr. Alexander citing one study that found insurgencies take on average 14 years to lose and 17 years to win.
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Embassy, February 28th, 2007 By Lee Berthiaume
Article Link
Talking about an early Canadian withdrawal from Afghanistan encourages the insurgency and will only drag out the mission as Afghans wonder which side to support.
That was the message two Canadians, one working for the UN and the other NATO, brought to Ottawa as they testified on Parliament Hill and spoke before a who's-who of Canadian foreign and military policymakers yesterday.
"The major challenge for all of us today is to show resolve, to show will, and to demonstrate unity of effort," Christopher Alexander, deputy representative of UN secretary-general for Afghanistan, told members of the Standing Committee on National Defence.
"If we are rushing for the exit, if we are trying to cut things short, if we are flagging in our commitment to achieving the objectives...we will be giving comfort to the enemies of this transition and we will be undermining the achievements and the effort that is underway today to bring stability to Afghanistan."
Over the past year, Canada's role in Afghanistan has been the subject of heated debate across the country.
Canada has committed $1.2 billion to reconstruction efforts within the Central Asian country through to 2011, including $200 million announced by the government on Monday. At the same time, about 2,500 Canadian soldiers are operating in Afghanistan, with the government committed to staying until at least 2009.
While the Conservative government has stood firm on Canada's commitments to Afghanistan, opposition parties have called for everything from a shift away from combat operations towards reconstruction to outright withdrawal.
With such divisions, there was a perception that Mr. Alexander and NATO spokesman James Appathurai, both of whom will be in Toronto today for more presentations, are in the country to sell the mission's progress.
"Afghanistan will not succeed unless countries like Canada remain committed," Mr. Alexander said when asked whether he was in Canada to shore up support for the mission.
"We hope to continue a debate and show people that the past five years...have yielded a result," he added. "And if we're prepared to make more investments, than we will make more progress."
During their presentation to the defence committee, the two men said the mission will take a long time, with Mr. Alexander citing one study that found insurgencies take on average 14 years to lose and 17 years to win.
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