NATO contingent's enlargement in Afghanistan not to improve situation - newspaper
MOSCOW. May 26 (Interfax) - Afghanistan needs a search for political compromises and a national reconciliation process rather than extra NATO troops, the newspaper Izvestia quoted Russian presidential Special Representative for Afghanistan and Foreign Ministry's Second Asian Department Director Zamir Kabulov as saying on Friday.
"The military-political situation will not improve [after the enlargement of the U.S. and NATO military presence in Afghanistan]. Nothing will change even if they deploy 50,000 people to Afghanistan. The West fears that the Afghan army will be unable to deter the Taliban's onslaught and will lose more land. The enlargement of these contingents is needed at least to prevent a complete collapse," Kabulov said.
The launch of a national reconciliation process is the only way to change the situation in Afghanistan, he said.
"Thank God, the Taliban will be unable to defeat the entire opposing force. Kabul is also unable to win in collaboration with the foreign forces. There is the only solution, that is, national reconciliation and political negotiations between the Taliban [banned in Russia] and Kabul," he said.
The newspaper said that NATO was planning to follow the U.S. example and enlarge its forces in Afghanistan. NATO made a preliminary decision to deploy additional forces in Afghanistan at the summit in Brussels.
