Comments on: What’s Missing From Miliband’s Afghanistan Speech http://washingtonindependent.com/52787/whats-missing-from-milibands-afghanistan-speech National News in Context Sun, 04 Mar 2012 13:30:47 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Guest http://washingtonindependent.com/52787/whats-missing-from-milibands-afghanistan-speech/comment-page-1#comment-61505 Guest Fri, 07 Aug 2009 04:15:08 +0000 http://washingtonindependent.com/?p=52787#comment-61505 What Afghanistan needs is natural resource theft transparency. The World Bank wrote the Afghan Hydrocarbon and Minerals Law on Cheney's direct orders, without any environmental monitoring, cleanup, remediation or compensation clauses, despite their claims there are, and claims they will abid by EITI transparency. Then they hired Karzai to sign them into law, right now, Gustavson Associates in Denver is conducting private short-listing towards negotiated transfer, for a mere 1c on the $1, when the EU average royalties range from 33% to 45%! <br><br>Right in plain view! And the Afghan people know this! <br><br>They know Karzai is an expat crime family supporting the US:UK:IMF Mafiosa, and once these $100Bs in natural resources are signed away, the largest in Central Asia, Afghanistan will be left a bankrupt smoking moonscape narcostate. Wasn't that what we were fighting to prevent?! What Afghanistan needs is natural resource theft transparency. The World Bank wrote the Afghan Hydrocarbon and Minerals Law on Cheney's direct orders, without any environmental monitoring, cleanup, remediation or compensation clauses, despite their claims there are, and claims they will abid by EITI transparency. Then they hired Karzai to sign them into law, right now, Gustavson Associates in Denver is conducting private short-listing towards negotiated transfer, for a mere 1c on the $1, when the EU average royalties range from 33% to 45%!

Right in plain view! And the Afghan people know this!

They know Karzai is an expat crime family supporting the US:UK:IMF Mafiosa, and once these $100Bs in natural resources are signed away, the largest in Central Asia, Afghanistan will be left a bankrupt smoking moonscape narcostate. Wasn't that what we were fighting to prevent?!

]]> By: Simon Shercliff - UK Embassy http://washingtonindependent.com/52787/whats-missing-from-milibands-afghanistan-speech/comment-page-1#comment-55197 Simon Shercliff - UK Embassy Wed, 29 Jul 2009 02:04:39 +0000 http://washingtonindependent.com/?p=52787#comment-55197 Spencer - Your first point is spot on. You ask all the right questions and we're working with the Afghan government to answer them. You will understand that we cannot go into great detail about those discussions at this stage. <br> <br>Your second point is wrong. The UK has been very clear since 2001 (and reaffirmed in <a href=”http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page14049” rel="nofollow">2007</a> and <a href=”http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page19165” rel="nofollow">2009</a>) that our ultimate objective in Afghanistan is to deny Al Qaeda a safe haven from which they could mount international terrorist attacks such as 9/11 or 7/7. I made this point in a <a href=”http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/roller/shercliff/entry/the_political_elements_of_our” rel="nofollow">blog post earlier today</a>:<br> <br>"After stating clearly that our objective in 2001 - the need to deny Al Qaeda a base from which to launch attacks on the world - still holds true in 2009, the basic thrust of [Miliband's] speech was that we can support the Afghan government in dismantling the insurgency which still threatens to provide that base by using the dual approach of military power and political engagement." <br> <br>In addition, on Friday I blogged about how Operation Panther's Claw - a UK-led mission in Helmand - was a <a href=”http://blogs.fco.gov.uk/roller/shercliff/entry/panther_s_claw_what_why” rel="nofollow">critical element of this approach</a>:<br> <br>"Put simply, these classic military shaping and clearing operations are happening to allow around 80,000 Afghans to exist free from the shadow of the Taliban as the country prepares to vote in the Presidential elections on 20 August. Why is this so important? Because the more Afghans who can participate in deciding the future of their country, and who genuinely buy-in to the process, the more chance Afghanistan has to gather strength as a country and to resist encroachment by AQ and other militant groups."<br> <br>In other words, everything we are doing in Afghanistan is linked back to the one clear aim of denying Al Qaeda space to operate. Spencer – Your first point is spot on. You ask all the right questions and we're working with the Afghan government to answer them. You will understand that we cannot go into great detail about those discussions at this stage.

Your second point is wrong. The UK has been very clear since 2001 (and reaffirmed in 2007 and 2009) that our ultimate objective in Afghanistan is to deny Al Qaeda a safe haven from which they could mount international terrorist attacks such as 9/11 or 7/7. I made this point in a blog post earlier today:

“After stating clearly that our objective in 2001 – the need to deny Al Qaeda a base from which to launch attacks on the world – still holds true in 2009, the basic thrust of [Miliband's] speech was that we can support the Afghan government in dismantling the insurgency which still threatens to provide that base by using the dual approach of military power and political engagement.”

In addition, on Friday I blogged about how Operation Panther's Claw – a UK-led mission in Helmand – was a critical element of this approach:

“Put simply, these classic military shaping and clearing operations are happening to allow around 80,000 Afghans to exist free from the shadow of the Taliban as the country prepares to vote in the Presidential elections on 20 August. Why is this so important? Because the more Afghans who can participate in deciding the future of their country, and who genuinely buy-in to the process, the more chance Afghanistan has to gather strength as a country and to resist encroachment by AQ and other militant groups.”

In other words, everything we are doing in Afghanistan is linked back to the one clear aim of denying Al Qaeda space to operate.

]]> By: mikey http://washingtonindependent.com/52787/whats-missing-from-milibands-afghanistan-speech/comment-page-1#comment-54572 mikey Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:06:56 +0000 http://washingtonindependent.com/?p=52787#comment-54572 Does ANYONE actually believe that if we could somehow effectively and entirely deny al Quaeda "a safe haven in the tribal belt –in either Afghanistan or Pakistan" that the threat from al Quaeda would somehow be diminished?<br><br>You'd have to be severely history- AND logic-challenged to accept that premise...<br><br>mikey<br><a href="http://stoopid_stuff.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">http://stoopid_stuff.blogspot.com</a> Does ANYONE actually believe that if we could somehow effectively and entirely deny al Quaeda “a safe haven in the tribal belt –in either Afghanistan or Pakistan” that the threat from al Quaeda would somehow be diminished?

You'd have to be severely history- AND logic-challenged to accept that premise…

mikey
http://stoopid_stuff.blogspot.com

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