France, Germany buck U.S. on NATO role

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POIANA BRASOV, Romania -- France and Germany spoke out yesterday against a U.S. proposal to put NATO in charge of the military and reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, but U.S. and other officials said the alliance would go ahead and develop options for merging the missions.

The issue featured prominently in a meeting of NATO defense ministers at this ski resort in the Carpathian Mountains. The issue is expected to resurface when they reconvene in early February in France.

"There may be some interest in synergy between the two operations, but a merger of the forces makes no sense," said French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie. "It would be counterproductive to have the two missions under a united command."

The United States, backed by Britain, wants greater integration between the 18,000-strong mission it leads to hunt down Taliban and al Qaeda fighters with the 9,000 NATO peacekeepers operating in Kabul, the capital, and five northern provinces.

The outcome is important because NATO is on course to expand -- numerically and geographically -- its involvement in the effort to stabilize Afghanistan, even as the United States pursues combat operations. In addition, U.S. forces are working on reconstruction projects similar to those of NATO.

The evolution of NATO's role in Afghanistan also is important from a political standpoint. France and Germany were among the more vocal critics of President Bush's decision to invade Iraq last year.

U.S. officials here spoke confidently of overcoming opposition to the idea of combining the NATO and U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan, although they said it was not clear what the solution would look like.

"Most countries that spoke today, including our country, said the goal should be one NATO mission" rather than separate American and NATO missions, said Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to NATO.

American officials gave no indication that their motivation for trying to put NATO in charge in Afghanistan was related to hopes for reducing U.S. troops levels there.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld did not comment publicly on the day's talks. He met privately with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov yesterday evening. Mr. Rumsfeld was scheduled to return to Washington today, ending a weeklong overseas trip that included a visit to Iraq and a meeting on a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf with defense ministers from 18 countries that support the U.S.-led global war on terrorism.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said combining commands in Afghanistan was an option that would be studied in February. But German Defense Minister Peter Struck was adamant that his government would oppose any fusion.

"There is a clear 'no' of the German government for a merging of the mandates," Mr. Struck told reporters. "We'll continue focusing on reconstruction while other nations are engaged in the fight against international terrorism [in Afghanistan]."

British Defense Secretary Geoffrey Hoon was confident the military could come up with a plan that enables closer ties while respecting Berlin's reservations.

"We have to be sensitive to the national considerations," Mr. Hoon said. "I don't see any reason to cross any German red lines."