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Nato 'can't allow Afghan failure' Nato 'can't allow Afghan failure'
(10 minutes later)
Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has said that failure in Afghanistan is "not an option" but he ruled out a military solution alone.Nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has said that failure in Afghanistan is "not an option" but he ruled out a military solution alone.
Speaking at a meeting of Nato and partner defence ministers in Krakow, Poland, he said: "We cannot afford the price of failure."Speaking at a meeting of Nato and partner defence ministers in Krakow, Poland, he said: "We cannot afford the price of failure."
But the military effort should go hand in hand with reconstruction and redevelopment work, he argued.But the military effort should go hand in hand with reconstruction and redevelopment work, he argued.
"We should not be under any illusion there is a military solution," he said."We should not be under any illusion there is a military solution," he said.
US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has meanwhile said America will consider paying more rent to continue using a strategic air base in Kyrgyzstan which is key to its Afghan operations.
News that the Kyrgyz parliament has voted to close the US base at Manas has overshadowed the talks in Krakow, which Mr Gates is attending.
Concerned about a resurgence of the Taleban in Afghanistan, the US said this week it would send an additional 17,000 troops to the country and would ask Nato to provide more troops ahead of a general election in August.
'Not an island''Not an island'
"We cannot afford the price of failure in Afghanistan," said Mr Scheffer."We cannot afford the price of failure in Afghanistan," said Mr Scheffer.
"Instability in an already highly unstable region, a safe haven for international terrorism and massive suffering for the Afghan people is simply too much to accept.""Instability in an already highly unstable region, a safe haven for international terrorism and massive suffering for the Afghan people is simply too much to accept."
Mr Scheffer said the countries contributing to Isaf (the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan) needed to work together much more closely.Mr Scheffer said the countries contributing to Isaf (the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan) needed to work together much more closely.
"We, the Isaf nations, must provide more forces, more trainers and an action support in a more joined-up approach," he told reporters."We, the Isaf nations, must provide more forces, more trainers and an action support in a more joined-up approach," he told reporters.
"We need a regional approach because Afghanistan is not an island. We need a greater civilian effort, married up more effectively with our military operations if we are not to waste precious time and resources."We need a regional approach because Afghanistan is not an island. We need a greater civilian effort, married up more effectively with our military operations if we are not to waste precious time and resources.
"And we need a stronger communications effort to show the good we are doing and the heinous crimes the extremists are committing.""And we need a stronger communications effort to show the good we are doing and the heinous crimes the extremists are committing."