Stay the course

European Union officials meeting in Stockholm called for greater engagement on all sides to bring greater stability to Afghanistan. While acknowledging its own shortcomings, the Swedish EU presidency also called on the Afghan administration to up its game.

"We are determined to increase pressure on ourselves, as well as on the Afghan government," Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said.

Sweden wants the international community and the government in Kabul to "prioritze objectives, especially in those areas which have seen limited progress, such as governance, corruption and human rights". The text published by the Swedish government also stressed that preserving women's rights in Afghanistan should be an important goal to pursue.

Bildt's most immediate call to the government in Kabul however, was to "cleanse" the results of August's presidential election of any serious fraud allegations, as questions over the vote's validity continue to marr the poll.

Both incumbent Hamid Karzai and his main rival Abdullah Abdullah have claimed outright victory in the ballot - though a run-off vote between the pair appears the most likely scenario - and Abdullah has repeatedly accused the Karzai camp of vote-rigging.

EU admits shortcomings

The EU lawmakers also criticized its own failures in Afghanistan, especially its attempts to train the Aghan police forces. Currently, only 265 of the planned 400 trainers have been stationed in the country, a shortfall that Danish foreign minister Per Stig Moller described as "unacceptable".

The meeting was also overshadowed by a NATO attack, authorized by German commanders, near the Afghan city of Kunduz, which Afghan officials now claim killed at least 150 people - both militants and civilians.

"This was a tragedy," Bildt said. "I do not think we will win this war by killing. It might be necessary to kill opponents at times, but I think we will win this war by protecting the population." Bildt also said that peace and state-building, not military means, were the path to victory in Afghanistan.

Afghan authorities must improve

Despite admitting to failings of their own, the EU nations also made it clear that they expected more from the government in Kabul. The Swedish statement made it clear that the international community felt that not enough internal progress had been made considering the years of financial and military support from the West.

Acknowledging progress - like the marked reduction in poppy planting and opium production - the ministers called on Afghan politicians to stamp out corruption, step up the fight against the drug trade, and do more to protect human rights, especially those of women.

"If you have an administration that is corrupt then it is very difficult to go on," said EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero Waldner. She hinted that European money should not disappear into a black hole, whilst the bloc's chief diplomat Javier Solana called for stricter rules on sending financial aid to the government in Kabul.

Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini suggested a conference with the next Afghan government with a view to signing a "new contract" between the national administration and the international community.

msh/dpa/AFP/Reuters

Editor: Nick Amies