Russia Demands Nato Not Leave Afghanistan Unstable

tolonews.com

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said international military forces must remain in Afghanistan until they properly fulfill the UN Security Council mandate they entered the country with, insisting that Russia had a right to demand this, during an interview with TOLOnews.

Lavrov said the Nato-led mission entered Afghanistan with a mandate to establish a stable government and an adequate defence force, and they should not leave until that job is done.

"We see it from the point of international law. The presence of the international stabilisation force in Afghanistan has been mandated by the UN Security Council. The mandate is clear. They must fulfill this mandate before they leave, and before they leave, they must report to the Security Council that the mandate has been fulfilled," Lavrov said during a Moscow-based interview with TOLOnews.

"Everyone understands that by the time the international forces are withdrawn from Afghanistan, the Afghan government itself must possess the capabilities to maintain law and order and to be able to address all security problems inside the country."

He said Russia had a right to demand for the mandate to properly implement because of its support of the Nato-led mission in providing transit possibilities through Russian territories.

"I think the Northern Route has become the major supply route for Isaf in Afghanistan - I think two third of deliveries are done by the northern route," he said.

"We believe this is our contribution to fulfill the mandate which the international forces received from the Security Council and we have the right to demand this mandate, to which we contribute, is implemented before the operation is over."

Lavrov said Russia was especially concerned about the growing insurgency in the north of Afghanistan which had previously been more stable as terrorists were pushing further north and infiltrating Russia's Central Asian neighbours.

He said that the US plan to maintain military bases in Afghanistan after 2014 was illogical and would not help regional instability, suggesting the plan was tantamount to a failed Nato mission.

"It's strange that while insisting that in 2014 the American troops, Nato troops I assume, will leave Afghanistan, at the same time Washington is discussing with Afghanistan very purposefully about establishing four or five military bases for the post 2014 period," he said.

"If you need the military presence, then you are continuing to implement the mandate of the Security Council. If you don't want to implement the mandate of the Security Council or if you believe that you have implemented the mandate already, but still want to establish and keep the military bases, I don't think that's logical."

"We want to understand what the reason is for it and why this is needed. We don't think it would be helpful for the stability in the region."
Lavrov said Russia supported all efforts towards "national reconciliation" in Afghanistan but refused to be drawn specifically on whether the Afghan government should engage in talks with the Taliban, saying it was not Russia's place to give assessments of the political discussions going on within a sovereign country.