NATO Secretary General pays farewell visit to Afghanistan

Reviewing almost five years of close cooperation President Karzai and the Secretary General gave a critical appraisal of progress achieved in the fields of security, governance and development and challenges ahead.

The Head of the Alliance highlighted that the upcoming elections will be a milestone and real opportunity for the Afghan people to show that democracy has taken root and therefore the credibility of the process is important. "This nation has proven five years ago that this was possible", he said at the press conference with President Karzai, "and we will do our best, together with the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National Police to provide support to these elections as the third layer of protection."

During his meeting with Kai Eide, the Secretary General discussed the coordination of Afghan and international efforts during the 2009 Presidential and Provincial Councils' elections and ways of enhancing overall cooperation with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The Secretary General also welcomed the opening of UNAMA's regional offices across the country.

The Secretary General also met with General McChrystal, wishing him every success in his command of ISAF. They discussed the operational challenges ahead as well as steps for the implementation of NATO's Training Mission in Afghanistan (NTM-A).

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen is expected to become the new Nato secretary-general on August, 1.