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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Afghan mission 'failing' - Clegg | Afghan mission 'failing' - Clegg |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has warned that the mission in Afghanistan is "failing" and said a "completely new strategy" needs to be drawn up. | Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has warned that the mission in Afghanistan is "failing" and said a "completely new strategy" needs to be drawn up. |
| He said there was "one last chance" to do that, telling the BBC the current effort was "unfair on our brave British servicemen and servicewomen". | He said there was "one last chance" to do that, telling the BBC the current effort was "unfair on our brave British servicemen and servicewomen". |
| And ex-leader Lord Ashdown warned that pulling troops out would give al-Qaeda free reign and endanger UK security. | And ex-leader Lord Ashdown warned that pulling troops out would give al-Qaeda free reign and endanger UK security. |
| They spoke ahead of a vote by Lib Dems on how to end the UK's Afghan mission. | |
| Members agreed on Tuesday morning to support a motion calling for a "focus on concluding the Afghan mission". | |
| Mission tests | Mission tests |
| While stopping short of calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of the UK's 9,000 troops - in Afghanistan as part of a 40,000 strong Nato force - the motion says ministers must report to Parliament "on progress towards a withdrawal". | While stopping short of calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of the UK's 9,000 troops - in Afghanistan as part of a 40,000 strong Nato force - the motion says ministers must report to Parliament "on progress towards a withdrawal". |
| But Lord Ashdown told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday it focuses on plans for "withdrawal after succeeding, not withdrawal after failing". | |
| The motion also calls on ministers to be held more rigorously to account over the progress being made in stabilising parts of the country and improving national and local governance. | The motion also calls on ministers to be held more rigorously to account over the progress being made in stabilising parts of the country and improving national and local governance. |
| What we're doing at the moment in Afghanistan is failing Nick Clegg, Lib Dem leader | What we're doing at the moment in Afghanistan is failing Nick Clegg, Lib Dem leader |
| The top US commander in Afghanistan has said the mission risks failure unless more troops are sent. | The top US commander in Afghanistan has said the mission risks failure unless more troops are sent. |
| Lord Ashdown, once blocked by the Afghan government from taking up a senior diplomatic role in the country, has been increasingly critical of the Nato mission, saying its aims have become blurred. | Lord Ashdown, once blocked by the Afghan government from taking up a senior diplomatic role in the country, has been increasingly critical of the Nato mission, saying its aims have become blurred. |
| This view is shared by the Lib Dem leadership which has called for a rethink of strategy on the ground while continuing to support the presence of UK troops. | This view is shared by the Lib Dem leadership which has called for a rethink of strategy on the ground while continuing to support the presence of UK troops. |
| Mr Clegg said: "What we're in favour of is a completely new strategy and we've got one last chance to do that because what we're doing at the moment in Afghanistan is failing and that's unfair on our brave servicemen and servicewomen." | Mr Clegg said: "What we're in favour of is a completely new strategy and we've got one last chance to do that because what we're doing at the moment in Afghanistan is failing and that's unfair on our brave servicemen and servicewomen." |
| Lord Ashdown said there had never been a coordinated plan of action drawn up by all countries acting in Afghanistan. | Lord Ashdown said there had never been a coordinated plan of action drawn up by all countries acting in Afghanistan. |
| "Unless we get a strategy, a united international strategy, an interlocking political and military one, no amount of extra troops are going to win this battle," he said. | "Unless we get a strategy, a united international strategy, an interlocking political and military one, no amount of extra troops are going to win this battle," he said. |
| Lord Ashdown also called on Gordon Brown to do more to unite the British public behind the Afghan mission. | Lord Ashdown also called on Gordon Brown to do more to unite the British public behind the Afghan mission. |
| "He has completely failed to explain why our troops are there," Lord Ashdown said. "We're not a squeamish people, we can take sacrifice and pain if we're convinced we know what the war is for and there is a reasonable prospect of success. | "He has completely failed to explain why our troops are there," Lord Ashdown said. "We're not a squeamish people, we can take sacrifice and pain if we're convinced we know what the war is for and there is a reasonable prospect of success. |
| "Both of those things have been absent for the last three or four years. | "Both of those things have been absent for the last three or four years. |
| "I think there is a real possibility now that we will lose the battle in Afghanistan in the pubs and front rooms of Britain before we lose it in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan." | "I think there is a real possibility now that we will lose the battle in Afghanistan in the pubs and front rooms of Britain before we lose it in the deserts and mountains of Afghanistan." |
| Failure or withdrawal would lead to consequences that are baleful Lord Ashdown | Failure or withdrawal would lead to consequences that are baleful Lord Ashdown |
| Consequences | Consequences |
| Speaking earlier at a fringe meeting, Lord Ashdown said the repercussions of military defeat or forced withdrawal from Afghanistan would be disastrous for the region and the world as a whole. | Speaking earlier at a fringe meeting, Lord Ashdown said the repercussions of military defeat or forced withdrawal from Afghanistan would be disastrous for the region and the world as a whole. |
| While al-Qaeda was currently confined to North-West Pakistan, the exit of foreign troops from Afghanistan would give the terrorist group "the whole country to play around in". | While al-Qaeda was currently confined to North-West Pakistan, the exit of foreign troops from Afghanistan would give the terrorist group "the whole country to play around in". |
| This would increase the security threat to the UK since there was a direct link between "Osama Bin Laden in his cave to a terrorist flat in Bolton". | This would increase the security threat to the UK since there was a direct link between "Osama Bin Laden in his cave to a terrorist flat in Bolton". |
| The withdrawal of troops could irreparably undermine the Nato alliance while proving a body blow to Pakistan, whose internal "collapse" it could trigger. | The withdrawal of troops could irreparably undermine the Nato alliance while proving a body blow to Pakistan, whose internal "collapse" it could trigger. |
| It would also damage efforts to support moderate Muslim societies around the world, he added. | It would also damage efforts to support moderate Muslim societies around the world, he added. |
| "Failure or withdrawal would lead to consequences that are baleful," he said. "I don't think these are consequences that we should seek." | "Failure or withdrawal would lead to consequences that are baleful," he said. "I don't think these are consequences that we should seek." |
| Separately, Lord Ashdown said the party had to have "serious answers" to an unprecedented combination of domestic and global crises if it was to continue to prosper. | Separately, Lord Ashdown said the party had to have "serious answers" to an unprecedented combination of domestic and global crises if it was to continue to prosper. |
| As the only party with a truly "internationalist" outlook, it had to "shout louder" about the merits of continuing to fund foreign aid in a recession and the need to support international institutions. | As the only party with a truly "internationalist" outlook, it had to "shout louder" about the merits of continuing to fund foreign aid in a recession and the need to support international institutions. |