WEBVTT

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Uh huh Welcome . Good to talk to

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you . Uh let me very briefly

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uh introduced . It is not only by the

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NATO ambassadors but by the answer

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coalition which is 42 nations

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yesterday , a trip to

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uh all the regions of Afghanistan . By

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the different groups of ambassadors I

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myself when he got me and Sara be close

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to Kabul so that they could see the

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situation in the in the different

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ridges . When I make a brief analysis

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of the situation , I would say that

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that unlike what one reads in one is

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at least I read and I hear frequently

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that it's all doom and doom . That is

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not the case progresses . I think

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uneven in the north and in the west we

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see rather than stability . Even in the

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east , we see the situation improving

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in the south of course and that's why I

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use the word uneven . There is still

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there are still there are still major

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challenges but also in the south . The

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passengers who went there yesterday and

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I've been there on a fairly regular

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basis . If you definitely see you see

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progress , we came of course to show

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our local commitment to Afghanistan

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with those without saying a long term

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engagement as a part of the

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international community . I serve is a

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part of the activities of the

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international community . We are

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responsible with the ammunitions

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student forces as you mentioned them in

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the first place for security and

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stability . Reconstruction development

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of course is the responsibility of

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Afghanistan President almost but also

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very much of the other members of the

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international community . So this is a

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long term commitment . So the shorter

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term 2009 and 14 years in Afghanistan

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election year . We will support the

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elections in the sense that we will

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have extra forces in country before ,

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during and after the after the

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elections we are of course uh

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interested in , as I said at the press

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conference to present a moment ago ,

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continuity , stability and

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legitimacy In the period between the

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formal and the president , Karzai's

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mandate on 22 May and 20 August . But I

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as hastily , this is not something for

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the international community to

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intervene uh to involve itself . And

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this is a question for the Afghan body ,

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politics , for the president , the

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government , the parliament , but it is

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important of course , to see continuing

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legitimacy . This but also by the way ,

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Element mentioned by the NATO foreign

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ministers when they met in Brussels two

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weeks ago and I add a continuity and

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stability . Uh as far as the elections

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themselves are concerned here . Again ,

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three keywords , uh free fair and

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credible . I think that is a great of

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great importance and again , will be

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instrumental in supporting the Afghan

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national security forces in this , in

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this regard . Finally , an element I

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mentioned again in my press conference

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as I shoot because our presence in

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Afghanistan , it's not only about the

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hearts and minds in the nation's

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providing the forces , but also very

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much the hearts and minds of the Afghan

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people and that's the issue of civilian

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casualties . We are as prudent as we

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can be . Uh we

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are as cattle as we can be to prevent

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the loss of innocent civilian life .

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Every single Lots of innocent Afghan

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life is one too many . And I'll be the

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first one to apologize if that's done

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at the hands of nature . Do not forget

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on the other hand that 80% , of its

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really get this is called by the

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enemies of the land stop they

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intentionally killed . I have never met

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a NATO soldier . Men or women or women

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who intentionally killed innocent

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evidence , a the international

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community and I NATO , we are not , we

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are not uh into reconciliation . That

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is not good job . It's not our

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responsibility . It is clear that any

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conflict at a certain stage will have

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as an element political a political

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solution reconciliation for that matter .

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But that is up to the Afghan president

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and the Afghan government that does not

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have to ask the international community .

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So I might uh say that reconciliation

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is important , but I have to leave it

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Because I'm not , I'm not in that

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process . 2ndly , I should only repeat

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what I said . I said , there is there

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is absolutely no no no reason to defect

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to solve doomsday scenario . Uh , there

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are still , there are still uh

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formidable challenges in south . But if

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you look at , I'm a regular visitor .

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You know , uh now I'm now well over .

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Well , what is it ? About 1314 visits

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Afghanistan since 2004 when my mandate

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started . And I see progress . If I

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travel northwest and even in the east ,

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I see a lot of problems I see in the

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south also progress , but a lot of

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challenges . But I do not see in any

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way . That's that's that's the enemies

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of Afghanistan to turn on the on the

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brink , on the on the brink of winning

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away ? No .