US President Barack Obama claims that NATO remains united on Afghanistan but warns that there will be “hard days” ahead for the Western alliance.
“Just as we’ve sacrificed together for our common security, we will stand united in our determination to complete this mission,” Obama said in Chicago on Sunday, The Associated Press reported. He was trying to dispel fears of NATO division on Afghanistan.
“We still have a lot of work to do and there will be great challenges ahead,” Obama said. “The loss of life continues in Afghanistan and there will be hard days ahead.”
Obama is hosting NATO’s 25th summit with 28 heads of state and government of NATO’s member nations in Chicago to discuss several issues, especially the war in Afghanistan.
On Friday, newly-elected French President Francois Hollande met with Obama in Washington and announced that he would withdraw all French combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year, as originally scheduled.
“The withdrawal is not negotiable. The withdrawal of combat forces is France’s decision and this decision will be implemented,” Hollande told reporters after talks with Obama in the White House.
Earlier on Sunday, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen ruled out any exit strategy for the US-led troop presence in Afghanistan before a 2014 timetable.
“There will be no rush for the exits (from Afghanistan),” Rasmussen said on Sunday during a news conference in Chicago.
“Our goal, our strategy, our timetable remain unchanged,” he added.
US-led troops have been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001. Their initial offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across the country despite the presence of about 130,000 foreign forces.
——Agencies