Embassy News

Ambassador Discusses NATO Summit and Afghanistan with Parliamentarians

On November 21, 2006, Ambassador Foley appeared beside Ambassador of the Netherlands Ronald Alexander Mollinger and Ambassador of Germany Hans Peter Schiff at a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Hungarian Parliament. Ambassador Foley spoke about NATO operations in Afghanistan, U.S. support to Hungary's Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Baghlan Province, and U.S. expectations of the NATO Summit of November 28-29.

Below are Ambassador Foley's remarks.

Good morning. 

Thank you for the kind invitation to join my colleagues in discussing an issue of such importance:

• to our two countries,
• to the NATO Alliance,
• and to the people of Afghanistan.

Let me get straight to the point: NATO is important. 
Not because of its past during the Cold War - but because of its future.

Hungary's decision to join NATO was a matter of national consensus. 

So, too, is Hungary's decision to deploy a Provincial Reconstruction Team to Afghanistan. 

Hungary united to give the people of Afghanistan the chance for a brighter future.

All Hungarians can be proud of that national decision and of your national effort: 

• It demonstrates that Hungary is not just a believer in democracy but an actor for democracy.
  
  
• It demonstrates that Hungary is no longer a receiver of aid but a donor to those in need; 
  
  
• Hungary has generously committed itself to offering its own successful experience and expertise to nations who share the same desire for freedom and prosperity.

ISAF officers in Afghanistan have reported that Hungary's PRT in Pol-e-Khomri has "hit the ground running".  It is off to a strong start.

They have reported that Hungary is clearly sending its best and brightest talent to support this important effort;
ISAF describes Hungary as working closely and productively with Afghan officials, just as they have worked with the U.S. before.  

And I tell them, "természetesen."

Afghanistan is already a better place because of Hungary's efforts. 
Several initial reconstruction projects are already complete and more are underway. 

Throughout Afghanistan,

• children are going to school,
• goods are going to market,
• patients are going to clinics,
• voters are going to the polls.  
• And Hungary is a vital part of those successes.

In my brief time here, I have come to appreciate how well the people of Hungary understand the power of these simple acts. 
I have come to recognize how well the people of Hungary understand the importance of doing the right thing.

That's why, as U.S. citizens, we too are proud that our troops are serving under the NATO flag in Afghanistan.

That's why we are proud that an officer from the U.S. Agency for International Development has been assigned to serve with the Hungarian PRT. 

I am hopeful that other U.S. officers will also have the opportunity to work with your PRT.

I am delighted that Hungary has offered other nations the opportunity to work side-by-side with your PRT in Afghanistan.
I am hopeful that Hungary's efforts to include other nations will continue.
Because there is much work still to be done in Afghanistan. 
The deployment of troops is the first but not the final step in a long-term process. 

PRT success will mean providing Afghans with the means to defend themselves and to determine their own future free from fear. 
PRT success will mean matching this security effort with civil initiatives to promote development and the institutions of democracy. 
NATO's experience is that civil reconstruction is absolutely critical to maintaining stability and hope in the new Afghanistan.
Civil initiatives provide Afghan institutions the support they need to take on more responsibility.

In Hungary, success will require the continued multi-party commitment that has been the hallmark of this initiative so far.

Like much of what is happening within NATO today, the PRT is born of necessity.  

It is born of the recognition that threats can come at any time from any place around the globe, and that solutions must go to the source of the problem.

The NATO alliance has always been a community of shared values. 
It is now a community of shared values in action.

And that Alliance will not fail.

The challenge before us is neither easy nor short-term. 
To succeed, NATO must be united now more than ever. 
NATO Allies must share risks, and they must share costs. 
NATO allies must realize that a lack of investment in security is only an invitation to those who do not share our commitment to freedom.

At the Riga Summit, Allies must commit both the political resolve and economic resources to prevail, not only for Afghanistan, but for the entire NATO agenda for transformation.
 
Hungary is no exception.
I am hopeful that Hungary will continue its generous donations of equipment.

Indeed, our joint NATO efforts in Afghanistan represent how far NATO has come in a few short years: 

• NATO has come far from its traditional geographic area, because we now know that the threats are global; so our NATO capabilities must be global as well. 
  

  • In the past year alone, NATO has conducted new operations on 4 continents. 
  • It has continued its vital work in the Balkans to help secure peace and stability in the Central European region.
    
    
• NATO has come far from its traditional mission, because we now know that we must promote political reconciliation and economic reconstruction to cement our military success.
  
  
• NATO has come far from its traditional composition, because we now know how critical new Allies and new partners are to global security.  

All of these changes result from the most important change of all: the change in the NATO mindset. 

NATO's transformation is nothing short of incredible. 

• NATO is no longer an enemy, as Hungary had been told during the Cold War. 
• Nor is NATO an anachronism, as some had predicted in the past.  
• It is a global force for security, continuing its timeless mission in timely ways.

The Riga Summit will continue this process of transformation:

• The Summit will help ensure that the Alliance has flexible assets to address threats where they originate.
  
  
• Hungary's participation in efforts to enhance the Alliance's Strategic Airlift Capability is a key part of this effort.
  
  
• The Summit will look at ways NATO can engage with Partners new and old, enhancing our ability to plan - and to act - in concert with others in the international community. 
  
  
• The Summit will improve our ability to engage in training missions, giving like-minded nations the benefit of NATO expertise, so we can advance our common interests.
  
  
• The Summit will assure those who aspire to membership that the door remains open. This stance is consistent with our vision of a Europe whole, free, and at peace.  When a country proves that it is ready for the responsibilities of membership, the Alliance should be ready, too.

The time is right for the Alliance to address these issues.
The question is not whether NATO will be asked to assist in a crisis, but when, and what steps can be taken to insure it is supremely prepared.

The United States believes in NATO:

• in its global responsibilities,
• its global capabilities,
• and its global partnerships.

The United States is honored to be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Hungary in the NATO alliance.

Thank you.