Afghan 'turning point'

Ten years after the German Bundeswehr began its military engagement in Afghanistan as a part of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle sees Germany's role in the country as an important one - especially in 2011.

"The situation in Afghanistan is better than it was a year ago and way better than it was ten years ago," Westerwelle said in an address to the German parliament on Thursday, referring to 2011 as a "turning point" for the country. "Our engagement has not lost any of its significance. It is about averting deadly threats to our country."

In July, responsibility for security in Afghanistan began to be turned over to the Afghan government.

Beginning to pull back

The Bundeswehr's current mandate in Afghanistan is set to expire in 2012, and Westerwelle's speech came ahead of a debate in parliament to extend the mandate by one year.

At the moment, the Bundeswehr has up to 5,350 troops in Afghanistan, although this is set to be lowered to a maximum of 4,900 at the end of January.

All NATO troops are scheduled to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by 2014.

Germany hosted an international conference on Afghanistan in Bonn earlier this month, with nations pledging their financial support beyond the 2014 troop-withdrawal date.

"We won't abandon the Afghan people after 2014," Westerwelle said on Thursday. "We will not leave behind a vacuum that could then be filled by new terror."

The Bundeswehr's mandate in Afghanistan is extended year by year, with a parliamentary debate preceding each extension of the mandate every December.

Appeal for broad support

Westerwelle joined Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere in calling on parliament to show support for the Bundeswehr by offering the fullest possible backing for the extended mandate.

"The broad approval of parliament would be the best sign of respect and recognition for the service of the soldiers, the police and civilian diplomatic personnel [in Afghanistan]," de Maiziere told parliament.

The opposition Social Democrats lent their support to the planned phasing out of German troops in Afghanistan, while the Green Party said the withdrawal should be completed quicker and the Left party that it should be carried out immediately.

De Maiziere also pointed out that he did not expect the eventual withdrawal of German troops to be without problems.

"Sometimes climbing back down a tree is harder than climbing up it," he said.

The vote in the Bundestag over the extension of the mandate is scheduled for the end of January.

Author: Matt Zuvela (dpa, AFP)
Editor: Michael Lawton