Cameron hails Nato troop withdrawal agreement

David Cameron today hailed an agreement by Nato allies to return Afghanistan to the control of Afghan forces within four years, paving the way for the return of British combat troops.

The British Prime Minister joined other alliance leaders gathered in Lisbon to see the signing of a deal which will see the first districts handed back to the Afghans early next year.

He also welcomed an “unprecedented” agreement between Nato and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to co-operate on a wide range of security issues from Afghanistan to missile defence.

United States President Barack Obama said that it marked a new start in Nato’s relations with Moscow after years of deep distrust.

However he warned that it could be put in jeopardy if Republicans in the US Senate continued to block ratification of a new Start treaty with Russia on nuclear weapons reduction.

At his final press conference in the Portuguese capital, Mr Cameron reaffirmed his commitment to end British involvement in combat operations in Afghanistan by the time of the next general election in May 2015.

“Nato has itself set a timeline up to 2014, by which time transition will be complete and Afghan forces will be in complete control,” he said.

“The deadline we’ve set of 2015 is beyond that and it is, if you like, a backstop. But let me be clear, it is a deadline and I think the British public deserve a deadline.”

He said that as a result of the agreement with Mr Medvedev, the alliance would take forward co-operation with Russia on “our vital security” interests.

Among the measures agreed was greater use of the overland route through Russia for supplies to Nato forces in Afghanistan, avoiding the dangerous journey through Pakistan.

However President Obama cautioned that the progress that had been made in Lisbon could be put at risk unless the Senate was prepared to ratify the Start treaty.

“There are a whole range of security interests where we co-operate with Russia and it would be a profound mistake to slip back into mistrust as a consequence of the failure to ratify,” he said.

Mr Cameron threw his weight behind calls for the treaty to be finalised, praising the “courage” of Mr Obama and Mr Medvedev in signing it, adding: “Early ratification will be in all our interests.”

While Mr Cameron maintained that British troops would not be involved in combat in Afghanistan after 2015, Mr Obama made clear the US would still have counter-terrorism forces in the country after the handover.

“One thing I am pretty confident we will still be doing after 2014 is maintaining a counter-terrorism capability,” he said.

“It’s going to be pretty important to us to continue to have platforms to execute those counter terrorism operations in Afghanistan.”

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen also stressed that the transition to full Afghan control after 2014 would only take place if the Afghan forces were capable of taking on the job.

He said that even after 2014 international forces would remain in a supporting role.

“This process must be condition-based, not calendar-driven,” he said.

“If the Taliban or anyone else aims to wait us out, they can forget it. We will stay as long as it takes to finish our job,” he said.

“We will not leave behind a security vacuum that could create instability in the region.”

The agreement with Russia on opening up the supply route into Afghanistan comes at a time when the main route through Pakistan is proving increasingly dangerous.

Previously, the Russians had restricted its use to a limited range of non-lethal supplies, such as food and clothing, however it has now been extended to cover equipment such as armoured vehicles and armour plating.

There was also agreement on the creation of a Nato-Russian helicopter trust fund, providing training and technicians for the Afghan helicopter fleet.

And there will be further support from the Russians and Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the training of Afghan counter-narcotics officers.

Thousands of demonstrators called for an end to the nine-year conflict in Afghanistan during a march in London today. There were also protests in Lisbon.