Petraeus: Afghan success needs cooperation

[unhappycamper]

Petraeus: Afghan success needs cooperation
By William H. Mcmichael - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jan 8, 2009 20:55:57 EST

Success in Afghanistan will require regional cooperation among the war-torn country’s neighbors — including Iran, the leader of U.S. Central Command said Thursday.

“There are even common interests between Afghanistan, the coalition and Iran — though there are also major conflicting interests, needless to say,” said Army Gen. David Petraeus, speaking during a Washington, D.C., panel discussion on the way forward in Afghanistan sponsored by the Institute for Peace.

Petraeus wouldn’t bite when asked during the question-and-answer session to elaborate on dealing with a country that the U.S. says has supplied advanced roadside bomb parts and training for Iraq-based insurgents but that President-elect Barack Obama has said he wants to engage over its reported development of nuclear arms.

“I’m happy to leave that to the diplomats during a time of transition in Washington,” Petraeus added, referring to the upcoming change of administration.

The regional approach is required because Afghanistan’s problems affect all the surrounding nations, Petraeus said. For instance, there’s an increasing recognition within Pakistan, he said, that the insurgent safe haven in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal areas, from which extremists launch attacks into Afghanistan, is by some estimation a greater internal threat to Pakistan than its rival and neighbor India. And the smuggling of Afghani opium, he said, affects every country in the region.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/01/tns_petraeus_afghan_010809/%2e