| |
|
|
|
|
|
||
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
"More police officers for Afghanistan" - Joint article by Wolfgang Schäuble, Federal Minister of the Interior and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, February 24, 2008 We should be grateful that Germany has to date been spared the pain of a brutal attack on its territory by Islamist terrorists. This we owe to luck, the vigilance of our security services and our cooperation with our international partners. Even if we in Europe have to deal with the worrying fact that many of the attacks of the past years were prepared in our midst, we must not forget that many of them only had their lethal impact because they were carried out with the support of international terrorist networks. Such networks need places that provide them with protection and shelter. Afghanistan was such a place for many years. The people behind the 11 September attacks and many other acts of terrorism were safely ensconced there. The international community intervened in Afghanistan in 2001 in order to flush them out. The Taliban regime and its terrorist backer Al Qaida were sent packing. Thanks to the engagement of the international community, it proved possible to stabilize the country, which had been ravaged by decades of war. Germany played a leading role in this process. The Bonn Conferences paved the way for Afghanistan's return to constitutionality and democracy. This is something we can be proud of. Germany is held in high esteem in Afghanistan. Our country maintains a military presence in the north of the country, and we are actively involved with reconstruction. We have also assumed special responsibility in the security sector. The first successful international efforts to advise and train the Afghan police were undertaken under Germany's lead. Responsibility for this task was transferred to the European Union last summer. The associated challenges are huge and mastering them will be crucial for the future of Afghanistan. Only if state control extends across the entire country, leaving no areas of lawless territory, will the country have the requisite stability for development. Nobody is playing down the difficulties facing the international community. These difficulties must not however be used as an excuse for shirking the responsibility we have assumed. After overcoming its teething troubles, the European police mission EUPOL is finally getting into its stride. By April, up to 200 European police advisers and other experts should be at work across Afghanistan. We advocate going a step further and doubling the personnel strength of EUPOL, and will submit proposals to this end to our European colleagues. If these are approved, Germany will – in line with an agreement between the Interior Ministers of the Federation and the Länder – make available not just the 60 police officers already offered, but a total of 120 police officers to serve with EUPOL Afghanistan. The German police officers deployed in Afghanistan deserve our respect and gratitude for their professionalism and their readiness to serve in such a difficult environment. Theirs is an important task: creating an Afghan police force that is able to perform its duties and win the trust of the people is not something that can be done overnight. It requires patient and comprehensive action, which is what we are providing. Much has been achieved. The national police academy was rebuilt in 2002 with German assistance. The young Afghan police cadets being trained there now receive instruction not only on law enforcement, but also on human rights. A few weeks ago a further wing built with German funds was handed over to the Academy. 2100 trainees can now be trained at a time. The entire police force has been restructured since 2005. Most key positions are now held by police officers who have gone through a recruitment process designed to ensure that they have the relevant skills for their work. Moreover, Germany provides supplementary training and equipment aid in close coordination with the EU mission. For the year 2008, the German Bundestag has approved a tripling of our funds up to almost 36 million euro. We will use this to invest in infrastructure and equipment, literacy programmes for the police, and help in paying wages. Working alongside the policemen and women from the Federation and the Länder who are stationed in Afghanistan, members of Germany's military police are also making an important contribution. They are focusing with great success on basic training for junior policemen and women. We are aware that international engagement alone cannot create a police force operating in accordance with the rule of law. All it can do is offer assistance to a police force that is willing to work to improve itself. But our specialists on the ground are full of praise for the skills and the willingness of many Afghans to learn. Our efforts are gradually bearing fruit. We must continue to advance along this road.
|
|
 Newsletters
 Printer-Friendly
Page
Email This Article |
||
|
|||||
|
|||||
