[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12352]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   NATO NEEDS TO AUGMENT INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE IN 
                              AFGHANISTAN

  (Mr. BEREUTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, following the stirring address of the 
President of Afghanistan this morning, this Member rises to address the 
urgent need for NATO to augment the International Security Assistance 
Force, or ISAF.
  This Member cannot overstate how critical the next few weeks will be 
for the future of Afghanistan and for the credibility of the North 
Atlantic Alliance. Unless the NATO allies quickly remedy the grave 
shortfalls in military personnel and equipment, the NATO mission in 
Afghanistan faces a real danger of failure. There will be no security 
for the upcoming elections in the hinterland of Afghanistan.
  Actually, this is a crucial failure of will, political will, purely 
and simply. We are not coming up in other countries with the pledged 
personnel and equipment. Make no mistake about it, this is a failure 
that jeopardizes the success of our mission to Afghanistan and 
jeopardizes the very credibility of the Alliance.
  Mr. Speaker, we often say that failure is not an option. Alas, in 
Afghanistan failure is a distinct possibility, and unless allied 
leaders in the next few weeks demonstrate the political will to deploy 
the necessary assets in Afghanistan, failure gradually will become a 
reality.
  Two weeks ago, this Member returned from the NATO Parliamentary 
Assembly meeting in Bratislava. Recognizing the gravity of the 
situation in Afghanistan, the leaders of the 26 national delegations--
in an unprecedented action--authorized this Member, as the President of 
the Assembly, to send a letter to our national leaders, expressing the 
concern of the Assembly and urging governments to provide the necessary 
resources for ISAF.
  Mr. Speaker, this Member will also raise these concerns with those 
national leaders in an address to the Istanbul Summit later this month. 
Likewise, the Bush Administration at Istanbul must press our allies to 
dig deep and find the extra personnel and resources that are needed to 
make this mission a success.

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