(Refiles removing bullet point)
* NATO members ready for pullout from Afghanistan
* Financing commitments for post-2014 expected in May
By Sebastian Moffett and Justyna Pawlak
BRUSSELS, April 18 (Reuters) – NATO should be able to nail
down plans next month on the size and cost of Afghan security
forces needed after most foreign troops leave in 2014, the
alliance’s chief said on Wednesday at a meeting where Washington
pressed allies to commit funds.
A timetable agreed between NATO and Afghanistan in 2010
calls for the withdrawal of most foreign combat troops from
Afghanistan by the end of 2014, when Afghan security forces are
supposed to have full control.
Afghanistan will need donor countries to provide billions of
dollars a year to pay for its army and police. Countries have
yet to agree just how big a force is needed and who will pay for
it, but are under pressure to fill in the blanks before a summit
of the 28-member NATO alliance in Chicago on May 20-21.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told a news
conference at a meeting of defence and foreign ministers in
Brussels not to expect “concrete commitments” on Wednesday.
“Nor is Chicago a pledging conference. But I would expect a
clear picture on the size, structure and cost of long-term
sustainable Afghan security force,” he said.
An assault on Kabul’s business district on Sunday was a
reminder that the Taliban remain a potent threat. But NATO says
the militants are growing weaker and Afghan security forces
growing stronger. Western countries are now heading for the
exits after more than a decade of war.
On Tuesday Australia – which is not a member of NATO but is
part of the NATO-led force in Afghanistan – became the latest
country to announce a faster-than-planned withdrawal, saying it
would start pulling out its troops this year.
Rasmussen said Prime Minister Julia Gillard had made clear
Australia would remain committed to Afghanistan after 2014.
France has said it will withdraw its troops by the end of
2013 and New Zealand may pull out before 2014.
Plans now call for 350,000 Afghan security personnel,
including 195,000 members of the Afghan army, when NATO pulls
out the bulk of its troops, leaving only special forces,
trainers and security to protect them. With many NATO allies
suffering from high government debt, securing commitment to pay
for Afghan forces is proving tough.
HAMMERING OUT FINANCIAL PLANS
“We think that countries in the region should contribute,
because they have the largest interest in ensuring the stability
of Afghanistan, as well as those countries which were not able
to contribute troops for the operation,” said Polish Foreign
Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. “If you don’t contribute troops, you
should contribute funds. We sent troops.”
Rasmussen said no firm decisions had been reached yet.
“Four billion dollars…is a good planning base because this
figure has been endorsed by Afghanistan and the international
community,” he said. “I would expect NATO allies and ISAF to
commit themselves to pay a fair share of the total bill.”
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said he wants at least $2
billion a year from Washington after 2014.
Over the past six months, U.S. President Barack Obama has
been seeking funding pledges from European countries on funding,
but has received no firm commitments so far.
A U.S. official said on Tuesday the United States believed
it would be able to announce in Chicago commitments from NATO
allies and other partners worth 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) a
year.
Efforts are being made to have non-NATO and non-ISAF
countries – such as the Gulf states or perhaps Japan –
contribute to the bill.
This week’s meetings, on Wednesday and Thursday, come after
renewed violence further shook Western public support for the
war. On Sunday, insurgents attacked the capital’s
heavily-guarded diplomatic district, sparking 18 hours of
fighting.
Afghan forces backed by NATO troops killed 35 insurgents.
Eleven Afghan troops and four civilians were also killed.
Rasmussen said Taliban or Taliban-linked attacks were down 9
percent in 2011 from 2010, and another 10 percent during the
first months of this year. He praised the performance of Afghan
forces in Sunday’s battles.
“We have really now seen in practice the Afghan security
forces deal in a very professional way with security
challenges,” Rasmussen said.
(Additional reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Missy Ryan;
Editing by Peter Graff)
