Afghanistan Takes Control of Its Own Destiny

Kabul, the Afghan capital, will be hosting a unique event: an international conference that will bring together more than 70 countries and regional, international and financial institutions, and whose goal is to draw a plan to develop governance and stability in Afghanistan.

This conference will allow for the clear definition of the approach to the transition to an Afghanistan that is responsible for its future, which is among that country’s responsibilities. In short, this conference will mark a stage of the process at the end of which the Afghan people will finally be in charge of their home.

This novel political process is not due to chance. It is the result of a supported effort — allowed just as much by the Afghans as it is by the international community — to give the country a new opportunity.

The tragedy of Sept. 11 made us open our eyes. Remaining indifferent became an unavailable option. We had no choice but to get involved. Leaving Afghanistan on its own would have caused nothing but increased instability in the country, and it would have led to more terrorist attempts worldwide.

It cannot be denied that the international community underestimated the scale of the problem this operation would turn into. It has now been nine years since the international community decided to get involved, and it pains us to observe that the price has been far higher than had been imagined — above all, the loss of both international and Afghan lives. But Afghanistan is finally moving in the right direction. It is possible that the insurgents think that we will end with withdrawal, but we will stay until the job is done.

Concerning the training we give to the soldiers and police of Afghanistan, we are ahead of schedule, and between now and 2011, Afghanistan’s security forces will number some 300,000 men, all of whom will be there permanently. In sending 40,000 additional men, we have demonstrated our determination to protect the Afghan people and hold the zones that we liberated from the insurgents.

And, finally, we are fighting the Taliban members where we land the hardest blows. These past months, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) launched military offensives in the Taliban’s stronghold — the provinces of Helmand and Kandahar.

These operations, in which Afghan security forces played an important role, are inevitably going to lead to an intensification of hostilities. Unfortunately, there will be more victims.

But these military actions have a heavy political weight. They contribute to the diminishment of both the military force and the political sway of the Taliban. And this will cause a good number of those who have joined the Taliban to leave their ranks and to join the reconciliation effort.

However, reconciliation imposes some obligations. Renouncing violence and respecting the Afghan Constitution — including the rights of women — are some preliminary conditions for reintegration. The Afghan authorities know it, and we won’t miss the chance to remind them.

We Will Continue to Be on the Side of the People

September’s parliamentary elections will constitute the next big political step. Since the fall of the regime of terror instated by the Taliban, Afghans have been going to the ballot box time and time again — despite the chance of being killed. Nothing could better illustrate the will of the Afghan people to take control of their future.

NATO’s forces in Afghanistan will provide support in the upcoming elections, but it will be the Afghans themselves who will have to see to it that the elections occur safely and that they are free and fair.

All these elements flow in the same direction: a progressive transition to the Afghans being responsible for themselves. This transition will not happen according to a set timetable. It will go along, guided by clear evaluations of the political and military situation in each region, and wherever it will be applied, it will be irreversible.

The act of starting the transition process does not mean we are going to abandon the struggle for Afghanistan to begin a stable country in an unstable region. Even when our forces begin to play a supportive role, Afghanistan will always need the support of the international community, including NATO. It is important that we send a clear message expressing our long-term engagement. And it is necessary that the Afghan population knows that we will continue to be on its side as it finds the voice that will guide it into the future.

To underscore this engagement, I estimate that NATO would have to establish a long-term cooperation agreement with the Afghan government. Thanks to such a partnership, Afghanistan will have much more confidence in itself, for it will once again be in control of its future.

There is now a new commander at the head of the ISAF mission, General David Petraeus. The strategy that we have put in place has not changed, because it is the best one. Our objective is clear: see to it that Afghanistan does not return to being a bastion of terrorism.

Right now, we are providing the Afghans with the means to fight terrorism and extremism on their own. We are changing the political conditions in key, strategic regions of Afghanistan; we are protecting the population; we are building the capacity of the elected government; and we are providing training to the Afghan army so that the country can provide itself with security.

If, with our Afghan partners, we continue to apply the strategy that we have defined, and if we give them the necessary time to give results, we will achieve our objective.

The author is the Secretary General of NATO.