NATO complains EU contributes less in Afghanistan

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) complained on Wednesday that the European Union (EU) has contributed less efforts than the United States in helping Afghanistan to build up its security forces.

The build-up of a national police in Afghanistan is "crucially important" for a lasting solution in maintaining security and stability in the country, Daan Everts, NATO Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan, told a press conference at NATO headquarters.

"Right now the police is there, and that is far from perfect," he said. "There is a discrepancy ... between our military efforts and our police law enforcement efforts."

The EU launched a mission to train police in Afghanistan in June and the mission is established for a duration of three years beginning on 15 June 2007.

The mission, or the EUPOL Afghanistan, consists of 160 police, law enforcement and justice experts. It will carry out its tasks through monitoring, mentoring, advice and training at the level of the Afghan interior ministry, regions and provinces.

At the same press conference, both Everts and General Dan McNeill, commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, complained that the buildup of a police force in Afghanistan is too slow.

"I think on the EU side ... the response must be more and better. There has to be a more commensurate effort on the part of Europe, a more matching effort to what the U.S. is putting in," Everts said.

"I don't think there is a disarray ... but there is still a great unevenness in efforts -- many between the two main actors in this area, the U.S. and the EU," Everts added.

McNeill also noted that there is a "slow development" in the Afghan national police.

"We've done very well with the Afghan national army, while we've done less well with the Afghan national police," McNeill said.

However, he stressed that "significant progress" has been achieved in the development of the Afghan national army.

But he did not think there could be a force reduction by NATO in Afghanistan.

"I don't think we are at a juncture in this effort over a time that we can say it is time for NATO forces to be supplanted by the Afghan forces," he said.

"I don't think they are at a level of operation that could be considered fully independent for now," he added.

NATO, whose mission now covers the whole Afghanistan, is leading some 35,000 troops from 37 countries and 25 Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in the country. It is the alliance's first and largest ground operation outside Europe.