The Financial Times reports today that "France will on Tuesday propose that Iran be invited to join a "contact group" of countries and multilateral institutions to co-ordinate Nato's peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan." US officials gave a "guarded response," but this must have some folks in Washington apoplectic...
Chirac seeks Afghan Nato role for Iran
(Financial Times) By Martin Arnold in Paris, Daniel Dombey in Riga and Rachel, Morarjee in Kabul Nov 28: France will on Tuesday propose that Iran be invited to join a "contact group" of countries and multilateral institutions to co-ordinate Nato's peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan. The proposal by Jacques Chirac, French president, may irritate the US at a two-day Nato summit in the Latvian capital of Riga, not least because of Washington's suspicions of Iran's nuclear programme. A senior French official also said that, if emergencies arose, France would relax restrictions on the movements of its troops in Afghanistan.The position is in line with that of Germany, though it falls far short of meeting Nato's call for more troops or a dramatic wholesale elimination of restrictions or "caveats". Mr Chirac sets out his proposals in an article published by a range of foreign newspapers this morning, calling for "a global strategy, a reinforced political and economic process" to address Nato's difficulties in Afghanistan.
He says: "The establishment of a contact group to bring together the countries of the region, the main nations involved, and the international organisations, as exists already in Kosovo, seems necessary to give our forces all the means to succeed in their mission of supporting the Afghan authorities and to refocus the alliance on running military operations."
Yesterday, the US gave a guarded response to the idea of a contact group. "The idea of strengthening international co-ordination is a good idea," said one official, while cautioning that any such move had to be in keeping with efforts to strengthen the Afghan government.
Proposals for greater contacts with Iran are particularly hard for the US to respond to at the moment, since Washington's own policy on Tehran is in flux, pending the results of the US's Iraq Study Group.
But some Nato officials have already argued that a contact group would be an effective way of both forging international strategy on Afghanistan and committing other countries and institutions to the success of the government of President Hamid Karzai.
In July, Nato helped set up a more limited Policy Action Group for Afghanistan, which brings together the country's government, Nato troop contributors and aid donors to work on strategy in dealing with the insurgency in the country's south.
To date, France, Germany and other European members of Nato have resisted calls by alliance officials to move their troops to the volatile south of the country. But the French official said that at the summit, Mr Chirac would announce a loosening of France's national caveat that limits its troops to their zone around the Afghan capital of Kabul. In future, the official said French troops could be deployed elsewhere when needed to help their Nato allies...
puma shoes
Posted by: angel | June 09, 2009 at 02:57 AM
nike shoes,men's nike shoes,women's nike shoes,
nike football shoes,nike shox shoes, men's nike shox, women's nike shox, nike airmax shoes, nike airmax 180, nike airmax 2003, nike airmax 2009, nike airmax 360, nike airmax 87, nike airmax 88, nike airmax 89, nike airmax 90, nike airmax 91, nike airmax 90, nike airmax 95, nike airmax 97, nike airmax tn, nike air stab shoes, nike air yeezy shoes, nike airmax ltd
Posted by: ANY | June 09, 2009 at 07:27 AM
ugg boots nike designer shoes
Posted by: jian | June 11, 2009 at 08:28 PM
timberland boots
Posted by: jian | June 13, 2009 at 01:48 AM
paul smith
buy paul smith
paul smith store
paul smith shop
paul smith outlet
paul smith online store
paul smith UK
paul smith authentic
paul smith sale
paul smith men's wear
paul smith women's wear
paul smith accessories
paul smith collections
buy paul smith shoes
buy paul smith trainers
cheap paul smith shoes
cheap paul smith trainers
paul smith shoes
paul smith trainers
authentic paul smith shoes
authentic paul smith trainers
Paul Smith Canvas Holdall bags
paul smith bags
paul smith bag
Paul Smith Blonde Naked Lady Belt
buy paul smith belt
paul smith belt
paul smith belts
paul smith clothing
paul smith clothes
buy paul smith t-shirt
paul smith men's tshirt
paul smith ps t-shirt
paul smith polo
paul smith clothes
buy paul smith cufflinks
paul smith cufflinks
paul smith credit card wallet
paul smith leather wallets
buy paul smith wallet
buy paul smith wallets
cheap paul smith mens' wallet
paul smith mini wallet
paul smith naked lady wallet
paul smith striped wallet
paul smith wallets
paul smith women's wallet
paul smith sweater
cheap paul smith sweaters
authentic paul smith sweater
buy paul smith sweaters
genuine paul smith sweater
paul smith flip flop
buy paul smith flip flop
authentic paul smith flip flop
paul smith scarves
buy paul smith scarves
authentic paul smith scarves
paul smith notebooks
paul smith neckties
paul smith underwears
Posted by: huangqin | June 13, 2009 at 07:41 AM
nike shoes,men's nike shoes,women's nike shoes,
nike football shoes,nike shox shoes, men's nike shox, women's nike shox, nike airmax shoes, nike airmax 180, nike airmax 2003, nike airmax 2009, nike airmax 360, nike airmax 87, nike airmax 88, nike airmax 89, nike airmax 90, nike airmax 91, nike airmax 90, nike airmax 95, nike airmax 97, nike airmax tn, nike air stab shoes, nike air yeezy shoes, nike airmax ltd, Air Jordan 1 , Air Jordan 10 , Air Jordan 11 , Air Jordan 11.5, Air Jordan 12 , Air Jordan 13, Air Jordan 14 , Air Jordan 15.5, Air Jordan 16, Air Jordan 17, Air Jordan 18, Air Jordan 19, Air Jordan 2.5, Air Jordan 20+AF1, Air Jordan 23, Air Jordan 24,Air Jordan 25, Air Jordan 3, Air Jordan 4, Air Jordan 4.5+13 Fusion,Air Jordan 5, Air Jordan 6, Air Jordan 6+AF1 Fusion, Air Jordan 7 , Air Jordan 8 , Air Jordan 9, Air Jordan Embroidery 4.5, Air Jordan Fusion 11+23, Air Jordan Fusion 12, Air Jordan Fusion 23, Air Jordan Fusion 5, Air Jordan Gold, Air Jordan Fusion 9, Air Jordan Six Mixed One, Air Jordan Three Mixed One, Air Jordan+Obama 11.5, Jordan Six Rings+Obama, Air Jordan Six Rings 11, Jordan True Flight
Posted by: ANY | June 13, 2009 at 08:53 AM
nike designer shoes
Posted by: jian | June 14, 2009 at 10:16 PM
nike dunks
Posted by: jian | June 15, 2009 at 03:46 AM
dvd rental
Posted by: jian | June 15, 2009 at 11:33 PM
adidas shoes
Posted by: jian | June 16, 2009 at 09:55 PM