Rasouli: NATO unable to check terrorism in Afghanistan
Tehran, 2007 Oct 29, IRNA
Head of Afghan Foreign Ministry's Research Center Yassin Rasouli said here Monday that NATO has been unable to control terrorism despite long time of presence in Afghanistan.
Rasouli told the 15th International Conference of Central Asia and the Caucasus that growth in poppy cultivation is a challenge facing Afghan government.
He said based on the UN statistics, only this year, 17 percent growth in poppy cultivation was registered.
He noted that number of people indiscriminately killed in Afghanistan by NATO is increasing and the figure is regrettably growing day by day.
The official said weak diplomacy is among other reasons for failure of NATO in Afghanistan.
"Military operations have short-term placebo effect but political negotiations coupled with insight and well-calculated plans are needed for a long period of time," he added.
