Interview: Baroness Ashton
Baroness Ashton represented the EU at today's Afganistan London Conference
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Thursday, 28, Jan 2010 07:29
The high representative for foreign affairs and security policy of the European Union speaks to inthenews.co.uk at the Afghanistan conference in London.
By Matthew Champion.
How important is it that the promises made today are fulfilled?
It's very important and I think what was great about today was the optimism that everyone feels over whether we're able to support the Afghan government for the future in terms of delivering economic security.
Does that take precedence over the security concerns now?
They go hand in hand, you need to make sure it's a secure country for the people of Afghanistan but also for us.
We need to give them the kind of support we can offer, whether that's in supporting police training, healthcare, education, or helping them with their economy.
The way in which the international community engages with Afghanistan has come under fire today
I think people look to see what we're doing is sensible and has real potential to secure Afghanistan for the people of Afghanistan in the future and what today has really been is 65 foreign ministers and other organisations, as well as General Stanley McChrystal [Nato's Isaf commander], coming together trying to show we have a strategy for the future that will help this country develop for the Afghan people by the Afghan people with the kind of international support that goes across the board. That's what people across the world are looking to see we have got it in our sights and that we have a plan.
What does the Karzai administration have to do this year to meet its obligations?
It's been difficult for them, there's no question of that. President Karzai committed himself very clearly to the things that we believe need to happen. He's committed himself to support the security of Afghanistan, committed himself to working with us and the rule of law, committed himself to ensuring the elections are well done in the future and so on. He knows what we have in terms of expectations and we have to make sure we deliver for him.
Where does the EU stand on the Taliban reconciliation issue?
You know at the end of any conflict people have to go home, at the end of any conflict anywhere in the world you have to find a way get people back into their communities. That's what security means, that's what the future will be based on.
They [go back] within the rules and values of that society and not outside it. We have to help them do it and that's happened in every conflict that I can think of in the last 50 to 60 years. We've always known we had to do that and this is no exception. So it's about that, getting people to go home, enabling them to have a future and feel they have a stake in that future.