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Topic: Manley Report. (Read 2876 times)
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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This alliance is a JOKE!
NATO will deliver, PM says
STEVEN CHASE
From Saturday's Globe and Mail
March 29, 2008 at 1:38 AM EDT
OTTAWA Prime Minister Stephen Harper yesterday dampened expectations that NATO allies would meet all of Canada's conditions for staying in Afghanistan at next week's leaders summit in Romania.
But he left no doubt in his strongest language to date that he believes Canada will get the 1,000 soldiers and extra equipment from NATO partners that it has demanded.
I anticipate in the weeks to come there will be additional commitments made in Afghanistan by some of our allies, Mr. Harper said during a visit to Northern Quebec.
I also fully anticipate that that will result in Canada having a partner in Kandahar, in Canada receiving both the troops we're looking for in Kandahar and the equipment I have a very high level of certainty of that.
This means the Tories are confident they will fulfill the main conditions laid down by the independent Manley report and Parliament for continuing to put soldiers in harm's way in Afghanistan.
I don't think we will necessarily finish that process at Bucharest, but we will finish it in the very near future, Mr. Harper said.
Eighty-two Canadians 81 soldiers and a diplomat have died in Afghanistan since 2002, and Canada has one of the toughest jobs among allies there: bringing order to the southern Kandahar province.
Mr. Harper leaves Monday night for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting in Bucharest, where France is expected to unveil plans for sending additional troops to Afghanistan an agenda that French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy outlined in London this week.
It's still not known whether French troops will head to eastern Afghanistan, relieving U.S. soldiers who could join Canada in Kandahar, or head south to work directly alongside Canadians.
While it might be a boost for NATO to have a country other than the United States the alliance's best-equipped partner answer Canada's call in southern Afghanistan, it would be likely be easier for U.S. and Canadian forces to serve as partners in Kandahar because the two countries' soldiers often train together.
A motion passed by Parliament on March 13 says Mr. Harper must secure 1,000 soldiers from NATO allies to join Canadians in Kandahar province by February of 2009, as well as transport helicopters and aerial reconnaissance drones, or withdraw Canada from battle.
Poland has already given Canada use of two helicopters, and Canada is trying to get early delivery of about six from Boeing. Ottawa is also very close to approving a lease arrangement to use aerial drones already in Afghanistan, and is planning to buy similar ones for use by February of 2009.
Mr. Harper will visit Poland after the NATO meeting to strengthen growing ties. Canada recently dropped visa requirements for visiting Poles. As well, Canada has about 800,000 citizens who claim Polish origin a sizable group of voters the Harper government can't ignore.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Mike Blais
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Reality check!
40 years needed in Afghanistan: Senator; Dallaire tells Brock University political debate on mission misses point
Posted By GRANT LaFLECHE
Posted 1 hour ago
If Canada's mission in Afghanistan is going to succeed, the nation will have to remain engaged there for at least the next four decades, retired Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire says.
Speaking at Brock University Sunday afternoon, the Quebec senator said political debates about ending the mission in the next few years have missed the point.
"The objective is not to fight for 40 years, but it will take that long to reach the point where our military and development people and diplomats will be able to say Afghanistan can take care of itself," he said.
Dallaire said the days of peacekeeping are dead and have been replaced by a more ambiguous and complicated world where military, diplomatic and development efforts have to take shape simultaneously.
"In the past, you'd go into a country, fight and destroy everything and then bring in the diplomats and the development people with a Marshall Plan. Well that doesn't work anymore," he said.
In order to stabilize a country like Afghanistan, Canada needs to have long-term commitment on those three fronts, Dallaire said. And it will also have to commit to the time it will take.
Missions in places like Cyprus or the former Yugoslavia have taken decades. Afghanistan, he said, is no different in that respect.
Canada, which Dallaire says is a "major middle power" with global influence, has to learn to let go of peacekeeping as the primary method of maintaining stability in the world.
For the most part, he said, peacekeeping is obsolete.
"It's not that our principles have changed; it's that the world has changed," Dallaire said. "Peacekeeping isn't the tool for our era anymore. We have to engage in conflict resolution, which may involve the use of force."
Dallaire, who commanded United Nations forces in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, spoke at Brock's Centre for the Arts to discuss the future of Canada's role as a "significant middle power" in an increasingly complicated world.
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Dallaire said during the Cold War, peacekeeping worked because warring sides would come to an agreement and troops with blue helmets would be deployed to keep the peace.
But since the Cold War ended, conflicts have increasingly taken the form of civil wars. The neat divisions of the Cold War, which allowed peacekeeping to function, simply don't exist anymore.
"We aren't in the era of good guys versus bad guys anymore. There are no more white hats and black hats," Dallaire said.
To face the reality of what he called "a new world disorder," Dallaire said Canada has to have the political will to do what is necessary to protect the vulnerable - and that means accepting that Canadian soldiers will die in the process.
"Winston Churchill said when a nation-state achieves power, that comes with a responsibility to the rest of the world," he said. "Do we have the political will to do this? Do we hold our commanders on the ground in a place like Afghanistan for the casualties they suffer? Or do we hold them accountable for taking the actions necessary that saved the lives of hundreds or thousands of people?" Dallaire spoke about the failures of members of the United Nations to respond to the crisis in Rwanda before it was too late. He also warned that the consequences of the world not stopping the killing in Darfur will be grave.
Dallaire said he has advocated for 44,000 UN troops to be sent to Darfur and that should include Canada.
However, he said he country's military/development/diplomatic corps was "gutted" during the 1990s and never rebuilt, seriously hampering Canada's ability to conduct multiple missions.
"For a nation of 37 million not to be able to do two missions is amazing," he said.
Dallaire ended his talk by saying this is a good time for people to join the military because "the missions are just."
Article ID# 964400
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Well, doggone it , i truly believe Sen Dallaire is right on with his ideas and estimates. Even recent history of the former Yugoslavia , and Cyprus, which many of us here know well about , bear out his thoughts... the dilemma we are faced with is the lack of trained people and the willingness of both Nato and the UN to fully engage in what is needed, and hwen it is needed....for years , all of us have been befuddled with how long it takes for the UN to react...now we get the same from Nato.. and i guess understandably to some degree... one does not want to do the absolute WRONG reaction...but... good Lord, the commanders of the 2nd war were in a lot tougher psiotion overa nd over.. they managed to react , mostly it seems in the right way.. so ...where do we find those leaders today, and are they going to be eroded in their decisions , by unelected bodies such as the Tri Lateral Commission??? W e are in a tough spot right now , and just spinning our wheels.. to some degree... but i continue to be totally amazed about how well our own mere 2500 troops do such a magnificent job over there.. i truly believe that NO other body of soldiers could have accomplished what our very own Cdns have....that is one great move that Nato made...they have the best , no , the very best over there doing the impossible..i , back here can only say thank you to them all...ranrad
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RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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Mike Blais
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I would note that General Mackenzie quoted similiar numbers a few months ago... but the politicians know best, right? I do however, find it somewhat contradicting that the generals would be so supportive of the mission/government/NATO even though, by their own admission, they fully understand that the mission cannot be successfully competed at current troop strength.
And who's left holding the line?
Pro Patria, my brothers, Pro Patria.
Meanwhile, the French say.... Khandahar? Monzeeeee, don't be daft.
France won't join Canadian troops in Kandahar
Sarkozy to deploy soldiers in eastern Afghanistan amid growing political opposition in Paris
Apr 01, 2008 04:30 AM
Allan Woods
Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWACanada can say adieu to any hope it had of fighting alongside France in southern Afghanistan.
And though U.S. officials say Canada's request for assistance in Kandahar will be met, it could be weeks before Canadians find out which NATO ally will back the country's 2,500 soldiers next year.
Reacting to French press reports that President Nicolas Sarkozy has told the U.S. and Britain of his plans to put 1,000 more soldiers in eastern Afghanistan by early July, Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier said he is confident Canada will get the reinforcements needed to stick with the NATO mission through to 2011.
"I'm optimistic that in the end we'll have a partner and it can be a couple of weeks from now that we'll have a decision about that," he said. "We have until February 2009 to have more troops and to find the equipment that we need, so we still have time."
Ottawa had been optimistic the additional French troops would be deployed in Kandahar. But Sarkozy's desire to impress Washington and to establish France as a commanding force within NATO, rather than simple reinforcements for Canada, has dashed those hopes.
It has also sparked a political furor for Sarkozy back in Paris, where opposition leaders warn that France is entering a "new Vietnam" and one poll published yesterday found 68 per cent of the French public against the deployment.
Ottawa has already been assured that U.S. troops would come to Canada's side if no other country does. The extension of Canada's mission to 2011 is contingent on NATO allies providing a minimum of 1,000 extra troops and other equipment, including unstaffed surveillance drones and transport helicopters.
But as Prime Minister Stephen Harper touches down today in Bucharest, Romania, for the annual summit of NATO leaders, the suspense was less-than-reassuring for a military alliance debating its future in Afghanistan.
"It is, to put it mildly, extremely frustrating for everyone to have this amount of indecision about something that's quite critical for Afghanistan and for Canada," said Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae.
Apart from France, Spain, Poland, Georgia and Denmark have been cited as countries to watch at Bucharest.
But none of the four have a military capable of providing a battle group of 1,000 troops, and there have so far been no other countries answering Canada's call. Poland, however, is expected to offer up a few more Russian-built helicopters to meet some of Ottawa's needs.
However, a senior U.S. defence official told reporters travelling with U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates things were looking up for Canada.
"I think things are lining up with what the allies are preparing to announce that will meet Canada's requirements. I think we are there," the official said, according to media reports.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
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Mike Blais
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MacKay, Bernier lower hopes for NATO meeting
Updated Tue. Apr. 1 2008 9:33 AM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Canada's top representatives at a key NATO meeting are downplaying expectations for the gathering, suggesting Canadians shouldn't expect an announcement of extra troops to help out in Afghanistan -- yet.
On the plane heading to Bucharest, Romania, Defence Minister Peter MacKay told reporters that "anything is possible," but there's lots of time to secure the troops.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said Canada will only continue its military role in the country if other NATO countries cough up extra troops and equipment to help out in the south. A panel led by John Manley said 1,000 troops should be the key to continuing Canada's commitment.
Many observers had expected France to use this meeting to announce it would answer the call, but that may be in question.
"I think it's fair to say the signal coming from Defence Minister Peter MacKay is if we don't have what we require as set out in the Manley report this week here at NATO we have until February 2009 to get those troops," CTV's Graham Richardson told Canada AM after arriving in Bucharest.
MacKay pointed out that troop numbers have gone up significantly since the last NATO summit, including increased numbers in the volatile southern region, where Canada is doing much of the heavy lifting.
But Richardson said there may be some behind the scenes politicking going on.
"What's unclear in this from Mr. MacKay's comments -- was he really lowering expectations for a real reason, or in a couple of days when the decision is made are they going to be able to say that despite our concerns heading in, we got what we needed, we got our 1,000 troops."
Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier has taken a similar tone, saying this week's meeting may not produce the partner Canada needs to extend the mission.
Bernier also said there is plenty of time to secure the extra troop commitments ahead of the 2009 deadline.
Critics, however, suggest Bernier is changing his tune after receiving Commons support for the extension, and that Canada's troops need an exit strategy.
"The opposition is already saying back in Canada we need some hard answers now, that we can't continue to wait for this," Richardson said.
In addition to Bernier and MacKay, Harper will also be at the meeting, taking part in a panel that will include Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Richardson said Canadian officials see Harper's presence on the panel as proof Canada's profile is rising in NATO and is responsible for making Afghanistan a priority within the group.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
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Sure... take your time... we love bleeding for you... what kind of rinky dink leadership is this?
No rush for Afghanistan reinforcements, says Bernier
20 hours ago
OTTAWA Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier says there's no rush to find a NATO partner to ease Canada's deadly combat mission in Afghanistan - although he expects a deal very soon.
Bernier made the comments Monday, just hours before Prime Minister Stephen Harper was to depart for a crucial NATO leaders' summit in Bucharest.
It has long been expected that Canada's demand for reinforcements in the volatile Kandahar region would be settled at the summit.
But both Harper and Bernier suggested Monday that the matter will take longer to resolve.
Harper said he's confident that Canada's military allies will come through with 1,000 additional troops and equipment "in the not too distant future."
Bernier later suggested the matter could be settled "in a couple of weeks," adding that there's no hurry.
"We have until February 2009 to find more troops and to find the equipment that we need so we still have time," Bernier said.
Harper, with the support of the Liberals, won parliamentary support for a motion to extend Canada's military mission in Kandahar until the end of 2011.
However, the motion also makes it clear that the mission will end in February 2009 unless NATO steps up with 1,000 additional troops and Canada gets battlefield helicopters and unmanned surveillance planes.
Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae was surprised by Bernier's assertion that there's no rush for reinforcements.
"I think that's wrong," he said. "We owe it to our troops and we owe it to everyone else to get this settled much more quickly than that."
Rae noted that the government insisted on holding the vote to extend the mission several weeks ago, contending that parliamentary support would strengthen Harper's hand at the NATO summit. He questioned why Bernier has now changed his tune.
"My own view is it's not a matter just of Canada. I don't think NATO itself can afford this kind of indecision and this kind of delay. We owe it to our own people, we owe it to the people of Afghanistan to be clearer."
Only hours before his departure for the NATO summit, Harper reiterated the threat to withdraw from Kandahar if the 1,000 troops aren't pledged.
"I have always been clear if our conditions are not met we would withdraw," Harper told the House of Commons.
"That said, our discussions with our allies, and also our equipment procurement, continue to go very well. I have every reason to believe that these conditions will be fulfilled in the not too distant future."
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has committed an additional 1,000 troops in Afghanistan but they are more likely to be deployed in the eastern region, near Kabul. Such a move could free up American forces to join Canadian soldiers in Kandahar.
The United States has already deployed 3,200 marines in Kandahar but only for a brief seven-month stint to counter an anticipated spring offensive by Taliban insurgents.
Other NATO countries, including Spain and Germany, refuse to deploy troops in Kandahar, where the insurgency is most dangerous.
Poland, meanwhile, appears ready to increase its offer of helicopter support for Canadian troops in Kandahar.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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ranrad
Ron [Andy] Andrews
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Well, well, well, hedging before they even get to the meeting.. Mr McKay and Bernier .. iw eill just say to you , wake up, smarten up and get some steel in your spines, and get in to that meeting and lay the REAL TRUTH on the line... and be prepared, at the end of the meeting to announce Canada will pull its troops Feb o9... NO MORE BS debate...good Cdns lives are on the line.. WAKE UP....ranrad
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RCAF,CAF, converted RCR?,1RCR 74-77 CD: SSM (Nato);CPSM,;UN-Cyp.; UN- Golan
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Mike Blais
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A ROYAL CANADIAN "NEVER PASSES A FAULT"
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Bletch!
France may send 'few hundred' troops to Afghanistan
FRANCOIS MURPHY
Reuters
April 1, 2008 at 4:26 PM EDT
PARIS France might send a few hundred extra troops to Afghanistan, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Tuesday, clashing with the opposition Socialists who accused the government of pandering to the United States.
President Nicolas Sarkozy said last week France would boost its military presence if NATO allies accepted certain proposals at a summit in Bucharest this week, such as working on a broader strategy for Afghanistan, which they are expected to do.
France had been expected to send an extra 1,000 troops in addition to its 1,500 soldiers already serving in the 47,000-strong NATO force there, but Mr. Fillon appeared to indicate the size of the reinforcement could be smaller.
"Our armed forces in Afghanistan may invest more in the command structures, particularly in Kabul, in training the Afghan army and in the units in the Afghan provinces," he told a parliamentary debate on the Afghan operation.
France's Prime Minister Francois Fillon speaks during a parliamentary debate about Afghanistan at the National Assembly in Paris on Tuesday.
France's Prime Minister Francois Fillon speaks during a parliamentary debate about Afghanistan at the National Assembly in Paris on Tuesday. (Jacky Naegelen /Reuters)
The Globe and Mail
"The numbers could be something like a few hundred extra soldiers," Mr. Fillon said.
But a senior diplomat told reporters Mr. Sarkozy was unlikely to announce a precise number of troops at this week's NATO summit.
"No precise figure exists because it will be the result of negotiations between military officials," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.
NATO members such as the United States, Britain and Canada have urged allies to send more troops to help battle a resurgent Taliban, but the Socialists said Sarkozy was putting U.S. interests before France's.
"We oppose this decision because at the end of the day it has little to do with Afghanistan and a lot to do with President Sarkozy's Atlanticist obsession," said Jean-Marc Ayrault, head of the Socialist group in the lower house of parliament.
Mr. Sarkozy's plan was part of a "global strategic alignment" with Washington, not a partnership of equals, he said.
A BVA opinion poll released on Monday showed most French people opposed the plan 68 per cent of respondents disapproved of sending more soldiers while just 15 per cent approved.
Mr. Fillon said increasing the number of French troops would improve the chances of bringing peace to Afghanistan.
"Part of our security, and therefore part of our freedom, depends largely on this peace for Afghanistan," Mr. Fillon said.
Mr. Ayrault said the Socialists would submit a motion of censure against the government for not allowing a vote in parliament on whether to send more troops. Mr. Fillon said there was no need for a vote as French soldiers were active in Afghanistan.
France's constitution gives the president the power to send troops to combat zones without the approval of parliament.
In Copenhagen, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the force's commander wanted an extra three brigades for the mission, but added: "I don't think they'll be anywhere near that number. This is a challenge we'll have to keep working at."
NATO powers will meet in the Romanian capital from April 2 to 4 and Afghanistan is expected to be a main issue. French diplomats said that if France increased its contribution, it would do so on the understanding that other countries would too.
Mr. Fillon said earlier on Tuesday France would not support bids by Georgia and Ukraine to obtain a Membership Action Plan a road map to eventual entry already secured by Croatia and Albania at the NATO summit, putting it at odds with Washington.
Diplomats say the issue has deeply divided NATO states, which are examining alternative options for Ukraine and Georgia.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
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Joke part II.
First, the frenchies will supply troops for a safe area in order to free up Americans to come fight with us. Defitnion of gutless.
Second, here is the prime minister saying that we cannot win and our sacrifice is for not because, and I quote....
The Prime Minister also told the audience that it was unrealistic to think that foreign forces could defeat Afghan insurgents, so Canada's benchmark for success will instead be to train the country's own armed forces to take over the job of fighting the Taliban.
"We do not believe that the ultimate success on the military side is that NATO will increase troop levels until the point where we snuff out the resistance. That's not realistic..."
NATO answers Harper's request for troops
STEVEN CHASE
Globe and Mail Update
April 3, 2008 at 7:52 AM EDT
Bucharest NATO allies have answered Canada's call for troop reinforcements in southern Afghanistan, partly fulfilling Ottawa's conditions for extending a military mission in one of the deadliest regions of the country.
On the eve of a summit of NATO leaders, France agreed to send a battalion in this case 700 troops to eastern Afghanistan, freeing American troops to join Canadian soldiers in Kandahar province where the Taliban insurgency is particularly strong.
This represents a political victory for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, whose task has been to sell an extension of this controversial war to Canadians. It goes some distance to removing Afghanistan as an election issue whenever his minority government falls, because NATO fulfilling Canada's demands helps lock in a two-year extension of the biggest Canadian combat mission since the Korean War.
Still to come from are NATO commitments to help find helicopters and aerial drones that Canada also requested by 2009 as a requirement for staying in Afghanistan. Canadian officials have said these procurements are on track even if there's no announcement on them at Bucharest.
Harper speaks from Bucharest
PM takes part in panel discussion during NATO summit in Romania
French President Nicholas Sarkozy confirmed the move early Thursday morning in speech to NATO.
"France will play its full part in this collective action. I decided to ramp up France's military presence with a battalion to be deployed in the eastern region" of Afghanistan, he said.
"France will also take command of the central region for a year starting this summer."
"Afghanistan is a strategic issue for international security," Mr. Sarkozy said.
"It is the central issue for relations between Islam and the West. Imagine what the consequences of a new terrorist state would be in that region of the world."
U.S. President George W. Bush told a closed NATO session Thursday morning that as a result of France's announcement he would send 1,000 troops to Kandahar.
In mid-March, Parliament approved an extension of Canada's military mission on the condition that NATO allies supply 1,000 more troops and help Canada obtain helicopters and aerial drones.
When asked whether the French-American moves fulfill Canada's conditions, Sandra Buckler, director of communications for the Prime Minister, replied: "It's good news for Canada and good news for NATO."
The announcement comes after days of efforts by the Prime Minister and his cabinet to dampen expectations for the meeting because it wasn't certain whether the French would deliver a troop announcement in Bucharest.
It's been widely know for weeks that the Americans would backstop any troop shortfall if other NATO members didn't step forward; however, Washington wanted to wait to allow other countries to first offer assistance.
In recent days Poland has also upped the number of helicopters it's supplying to Canada for Kandahar, to six from two, until Ottawa takes delivery of Chinooks that it's purchasing.
Separately, yesterday, Mr. Harper said that NATO originally underestimated the difficulty of the Afghan military mission, as well as the number of soldiers needed to restore peace.
"Early on, NATO concluded that the job was much easier than it was actually going to be," Mr. Harper told government officials and diplomats attending a panel discussion on Afghanistan.
He said while a U.S.-led coalition "threw out the Taliban" years ago and established somewhat of a presence across the country, it was only after 2005 that the alliance "fully grasped" the degree of hardship inherent in the task it faced.
"The fact of the matter is we all undercommitted," Mr. Harper said. "We all underestimated the task and we've been compensating ever since."
The Prime Minister also told the audience that it was unrealistic to think that foreign forces could defeat Afghan insurgents, so Canada's benchmark for success will instead be to train the country's own armed forces to take over the job of fighting the Taliban.
"We do not believe that the ultimate success on the military side is that NATO will increase troop levels until the point where we snuff out the resistance. That's not realistic," Mr. Harper said.
Eighty-two Canadians, including 81 Canadian soldiers and a Canadian diplomat, have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002.
Separately, NATO officials said they do not expect Ukraine or Georgia would be placed on the track for alliance membership at the Bucharest meeting, which ends Friday. Instead it's expected the alliance would offer a statement saying NATO's door would remain open to them in the future if they move ahead with political and military reforms.
It was a painful diplomatic setback for U.S. President George W. Bush, who had made a passionate plea to put the former Soviet republics on the path to NATO membership. Countries such as France and Germany were opposed.
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1RCR 1977-79 Depot (Italy PL), B Coy, Mortars, Pioneers, D Coy (CFB London)
3RCR 1979-82 M Coy, Pipes & Drums, Sigs, Mortars. (CFB Baden-Soellingen)
1RCR 1982-88 Mortars. Dukes, Cyprus-Welfare NCO 84-85, Injured, WO&Sgts Mess, (CFB London)
1988-92 Med-remuster to HELL/ 35 DU, CFB Baden
1992 Medical release. God Bless you all!
Pro Patria
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Mike Blais
SSM (NATO Bar), CPSM, UN-Cyp, CD
Ultimate 2000+ Member
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well, its seems to me Mr McKay has shown himself to be capable.. so why is the PM going?? Surley he is more needed somewhere else?
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