VZCZCXRO0116
OO RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHPW RUEHYG
DE RUEHNO #0138/01 0960533
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 060533Z APR 09
FM USMISSION USNATO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2858
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 1183
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 USNATO 000138 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S/SRAP, SCA, EUR, EUR/RPM; NSC FOR LUTE, 
SHERWOOD-RANDALL; OSD FOR USDP; JCS FOR J5 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: NATO MARR AF
SUBJECT: NATO SUMMIT DECLARATION ON AFGHANISTAN 
 
¶1. (U) The following Declaration on Afghanistan was approved 
and released by the NATO Heads of State and Government 
following the Summit of April 3-4: 
 
BEGIN TEXT: 
 
04 Apr. 2009 
 
Summit Declaration on Afghanistan Issued by the Heads of 
State and Government participating in the meeting of the 
North Atlantic Council in Strasbourg / Kehl on 4 April 2009 
 
In Afghanistan we are helping build security for the Afghan 
people, protecting our citizens and defending the values of 
freedom, democracy and human rights. Our common security is 
closely tied to the stability and security of Afghanistan and 
the region: an area of the world from where extremists 
planned attacks against civilian populations and democratic 
governments and continue to plot today. Through our UN- 
mandated mission, supported by our International Security 
Assistance Force (ISAF) partners, and working closely with 
the Afghan government, we remain committed for the long-run 
to supporting a democratic Afghanistan that does not become, 
once more, a base for terror attacks or a haven for violent 
extremism that destabilises the region and threatens the 
entire International Community. For this reason Afghanistan 
remains the Alliance's key priority. 
 
At the Bucharest Summit last April, we set out our strategic 
vision based on four guiding principles: long- term 
commitment, Afghan leadership, a comprehensive approach and 
regional engagement. These principles remain the foundation 
of our political-military plan which we have today updated. 
Afghan ownership remains crucial. Success requires a stronger 
regional approach that involves all Afghanistan's neighbours 
and, as this is not a purely military endeavour, greater 
civilian resources. 
 
We welcome the outcome of the International Conference on 
Afghanistan in the Netherlands on 31 March 2009, which 
demonstrated the re-energized commitment and focus of the 
international community. We share the emphasis placed on 
balancing civil and military efforts in further contributing 
to security and stability in Afghanistan. 
 
We continue to make progress. The Government of Afghanistan 
is taking on greater responsibility and increasing its 
capabilities. Since Bucharest, we have transferred the lead 
on security in Kabul into Afghan hands. An ever more capable 
Afghan National Army now participates in over 80% of ISAF 
operations, taking the lead in half of them, We recognise the 
UN's coordinating role over international civilian activities 
and the need to further improve the coherence of all civilian 
and military efforts. UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan 
(UNAMA), ISAF and the Afghan government are therefore 
implementing an Integrated Approach to focus our collective 
efforts. We are boosting our efforts to coordinate the 
contribution of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) to 
build stability and further align their work with Afghan 
Government priorities. We have improved our measures, in 
concert with Afghan authorities, to prevent civilian 
casualties and to respond appropriately when they regrettably 
do occur. We will continue our efforts in this regard. We are 
increasing operations in support of Afghan Counter Narcotics 
activities. 
 
We recognize that extremists in Pakistan especially in 
western areas and insurgency in Afghanistan undermine 
security and stability in both countries and that the 
problems are deeply intertwined. Since Bucharest, we have 
supported enhanced military-to-military coordination and 
improved high-level engagement with both governments. We have 
reinvigorated dialogue to address cross-border security. We 
welcome the continuation of the Ankara Process including the 
recent trilateral summit, and the G-8 initiative aimed at 
further intensifying cooperation and dialogue between the two 
countries. 
 
Serious challenges remain. Despite significant improvements, 
insecurity, persistent corruption and the uneven provision of 
 
USNATO 00000138  002 OF 003 
 
 
good governance need to be addressed together. We face a 
ruthless opponent that has a reckless disregard for human 
life and directly targets civilians. ISAF will do its part to 
help tackle these threats to Afghanistan's long-term 
stability. We will address urgently ISAF's remaining 
shortfalls and provide our commanders with the maximum 
possible operational flexibility for the use of our forces. 
We must continue, with the Afghan government, to counter 
extremist propaganda and better communicate our goals, 
challenges and achievements. As an expression of our 
commitment to Afghanistan, we have agreed to: 
 
-- establish a NATO Training Mission - Afghanistan (NTM-A) 
within ISAF to oversee higher level training for the Afghan 
National Army, and training and mentoring for the Afghan 
National Police, capitalising on existing structures and 
synergies in close coordination with the International Police 
Coordination Board. 
We welcome current initiatives in support of the shared 
objective of training and mentoring the Afghan National 
Police. The European Gendarmerie Force (EGF) could play an 
active role in this regard; 
 
-- provide more trainers and mentors in support of the Afghan 
National Police. In this regard we underline the importance 
of other efforts in this field such as the training 
activities conducted by the European Union police mission in 
Afghanistan (EUPOL); 
 
-- assist and support the Afghan National Security Forces 
(ANSF) secure the upcoming electoral process by temporarily 
deploying the necessary election support forces; 
 
-- provide operational mentoring and liaison teams (OMLT) in 
support of the progressive enlargement of the Afghan National 
Army to its current target of 134,000; 
 
-- expand the role of the Afghan National Army Trust Fund to 
include sustainment costs. We welcome initial contributions 
offered and encourage new contributions from the 
International Community; 
 
-- further develop the evolving long term relationship 
between NATO and Afghanistan; 
 
-- encourage and support the strengthening of Afghan and 
Pakistani government cooperation; and build a broader 
political and practical relationship between NATO and 
Pakistan; 
 
-- further support the Government of Afghanistan and the UN 
in the development of the Integrated Approach to strengthen 
synchronised civil-military efforts across Afghanistan; 
 
--encourage all nations to contribute to the UN election 
support fund; and 
 
--further develop our engagement with all Afghanistan's 
neighbours in support of long term regional security and good 
relations. 
 
The broader international community and the Afghan government 
must also play their roles in meeting the challenges as part 
of a genuine comprehensive approach. In this regard, we 
welcome the renewal of UNAMA's mandate. Looking ahead, 
presidential and provincial council electoral processes must 
ensure that every Afghan vote counts and that the elections 
deliver the population the leadership of their choosing. To 
help the Government expand its reach and effectiveness, 
greater civilian assistance is required. Greater and 
coordinated efforts, including at the provincial and district 
level, are needed to accelerate the development of Afghan 
capacity to deliver justice, basic services and employment 
opportunities, especially in the agricultural sector, for 
ordinary Afghans. Implementation of anti-corruption measures 
must be enhanced. We stress the importance of the protection 
of women's rights. The broader International Community should 
continue to work with the Government of Afghanistan to 
support Afghan National 
Development priorities and Afghan-led efforts to reconcile 
 
USNATO 00000138  003 OF 003 
 
 
with those who renounce violence, accept the Constitution, 
and have no links to Al-Qaeda. 
 
We pay tribute to those who have lost their lives or been 
injured working for Afghanistan and for our own security. We 
salute the courage and dedication of the Afghan people and 
the tens of thousands of men and women, military and civilian 
from NATO and ISAF partner nations and the broader 
International Community supporting this important endeavour. 
Our mission is strengthened by the important contribution of 
all ISAF nations. To achieve our goals, we will work with 
Afghanistan and its people in true and long-term partnership. 
As Afghan capacity increases, our part in providing security 
will evolve to focus increasingly on mentoring and training. 
We remain resolute in our commitment to help the Afghan 
people build a better future. 
REID