NATO chief in parting shot over Afghan force

[Barrett808]

BRUSSELS (AFP) Dec 17, 2003
NATO chief George Robertson warned members of the transatlantic alliance Wednesday that they had to "wake up" and bolster support for a NATO-led peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, or face failure there.

In his last address before leaving NATO after four years, Robertson pulled no punches in setting out the consequences of such failure, which would be a "crushing blow."

"Afghanistan will be... tough but it has to be a success," he said, referring to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which NATO took over in August in its first ever mission outside Europe.

"For that to be guaranteed the nations will have to wake up to what they have taken on," he said.

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