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I. Introduction

Vielen dank für die Einladung und die Gelegen- heit in dieser wichtigen Konferenz teil zu nehmen. Ich habe die Erfahrung sehr wertvoll gefunden.

I’m delighted and honoured to be on this panel.

Afghanistan is a top priority for Canada. We have been committed there since 2001 and currently we have over 2800 Canadian Forces personnel deployed on active counter-insurgency operations in Kandahar Province to enable our reconstruction and diplomatic efforts in that part of the country.

We believe that our collective engagement in Afghanistan speaks to the essence of NATO. Afghanistan, in my view, is not something exterior to the purpose of the Alliance. It is exactly the sort of mission that NATO must be able to deliver in the 21st century.

We are an alliance, with a unique combination of capability and common purpose -- but only if we have the political will to successfully engage them.

We need to employ all of the attributes of our Alliance and of our individual nations to strengthen the areas where we are faltering.

Yesterday, Vice-President Biden laid down a clear challenge to all of us. The U.S. has pledged to refocus its considerable efforts on partnership and on the Alliance in particular. In return, we must meet that challenge.

Afghanistan is our litmus test.

But I would like to focus here not on Afghanistan the mission but on Afghanistan the meaning.

II. Afghanistan: The Comprehensive Approach in Action

I’d like to make three key points:

First: Canada has tried, and I think with some success, to put into practice what NATO calls the “Comprehensive Approach”. This is something I’ve been engaged with as Foreign Minister and, now, as Defence Minister.

If we have learned little else from recent conflicts around the world – it is that security is the necessary precursor for sustainable development, good governance and prosperity.

Clearly military and civilian efforts must be integrated.  There is no purely military solution to the insurgency in Afghanistan.

It is common political and human sense that people in war torn and fragile societies want stability, food and shelter for their families, good governance, dignity and hope for the future.

If we are not comprehensive – with an integrated approach, we put our mission at serious risk.

Secondly: Critical to our success is unity of effort at every level.

Cela signifie qu’il faut aller au-delà des intérêts restreints pour veiller à ce que les soldats, les travailleurs humanitaires, les diplomates sur le terrain, les commandants, les hauts fonctionnaires et les décideurs soient décloisonnés. Conjuguer tous les efforts afin d’obtenir un effet maximal.

This sounds pretty obvious.  But the fact is, I‘m not sure we can say that we have yet achieved real unity of effort in this mission, nationally within NATO and ISAF or between the Alliance and the many other players, not least the Afghan Government.

We simply have not developed what Chancellor Merkel described as fully “Networked Security”. We need to act in more coherent and coordinated ways.

This will mean making hard political choices, building new capacities and looking critically at our decision-making structures and approaches. 

It won’t be easy but we must do it.

Finally, the third lesson we are learning in Afghanistan is the crucial importance of a regional approach.  Our campaign does not exist in a vacuum. Afghanistan’s neighbours have always, and still do, play a very important role. We ignore them at our peril.

 There is clearly no sustainable solution to Afghanistan that does not include Pakistan. Pakistan is an essential partner regional stability and it must play its full role if we are to succeed in bringing stability to this part of the world. 

NATO needs to reach out to help to build Pakistani stability and to engage Afghanistan’s other neighbours.

These regional partners must also be included in our “Network of Security”.

III. Conclusion

Finally, to close:

Afghanistan is clearly a crucial test for NATO.

The Alliance has achieved notable successes in Afghanistan but we still have a long way to go. 

Nous ne devons pas perdre de vue le fait que l’OTAN n’est pas une institution multilatérale. Nous sommes une alliance. Il y a une différence qualitative – ou du moins il devrait y en avoir une.

Nous devons tirer les leçons de notre expérience et conduire l’Alliance plus loin.

NATO must adapt to a fluid and uncertain security environment that will succeed in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Our test in Afghanistan is a daunting one.  But I am confident we have the creativity, resolve and the determination to succeed.  In doing so we will build a stronger, more useful alliance ready to take on the many challenges to come.

Thank You

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Es gilt das gesprochene Wort!