Petraeus Seeking International Support
Posted by Tina
This quite brilliant man is busy looking forward…and thats very encouraging:
“Petraeus seeking broad support for U.S. strategy, by David Morgan – Reuters
* WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Even before he takes command of U.S. military strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Gen. David Petraeus is reaching beyond the military sphere to encourage international support for stabilizing the region. *
* Petraeus, whose innovative thinking is credited with helping save Iraq from civil war, met International Monetary Fund and World Bank representatives last week in preparation for new efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan, officials said. *** The move, unusual for a military commander, underscores the Pentagon’s emphasis on unifying military, economic, political and diplomatic aid to help the two countries cope with militant violence and economic dislocation, officials said. *** On October 31, the Army general will become head of Central Command, responsible for American military interests in 20 countries across the Middle East and Central and South Asia. *** “The purpose (of the World Bank and IMF meetings) was to touch base and note the Central Command’s interest in supporting comprehensive approaches in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and others,” said a military official close to Petraeus. *** He has already spoken publicly of the strategic value of reconciling members of the Taliban with the Afghan government as a possible way to reduce violence in areas of Afghanistan where security has deteriorated this year. *** Military officials say they are studying the country’s tribal landscape to identify leaders who might be willing to join the West against hard core insurgents. *** Petraeus has also spoken out about the need for military strategy to be sustained by major financial and development support for the region from the international community. *** “That is one of the steps that has to be taken by our government together with other countries in the coalition and elsewhere including some of those in the Gulf states,” Petraeus told the Heritage Foundation in Washington last week. *
This snipet from a German paper was similarly encouraging:
* Germany’s lower house of parliament voted on Thursday to increase the number of troops Berlin can send to Afghanistan by 1,000 soldiers and extended the mission’s mandate by 14 months. A majority of 442 lawmakers voted to support a proposal by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition to extend Berlin’s participation in a NATO-led peacekeeping mission Deutch Presse-Agentur *