Westerwelle defends German role in Afghanistan

Jul 9, 2010, 8:56 GMT

Berlin - Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Friday defended Germany's unpopular military operation in Afghanistan, in a speech to parliament.

'The operation in Afghanistan is certainly not popular, but it is necessary,' Westerwelle told the Bundestag, or lower house of parliament.

The address came days ahead of an international conference on the region, to be held in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on July 20. The meeting aims to assess progress since international leaders met in London at the start of the year.

The majority of Germans think their country should withdraw from Afghanistan, where their contingent of around 4,500 troops make it the third largest contributor to NATO's ISAF mission.

'Things are not all good in Afghanistan,' Westerwelle said, adding, 'Those who think we can create European conditions in the Hindu Kush, they are wrong.'

'Our goal must be an Afghanistan that is good enough,' the minister said. This meant creating an environment in which Afghans could provide for stability themselves and in which the human rights reinstated after the fall of the Taliban were respected.

Westerwelle said Afghanistan could not be stabilized by military or humanitarian means alone, but required a political solution. He also called upon Afghan President Hamid Karzai to take a stronger stance against corruption.