Ambassador calls on Canadians to be patient with Afghan mission

MONTREAL: Canada’s contributions and sacrifices to Afghanistan are a "positive influence," stressed the war-torn country’s ambassador to Canada.

Omar Samad made his comments at an international conference in Montreal, which brought together diplomats and military experts to discuss Canada’s role in Afghanistan. Samad told reporters that many Canadians are starting to understand what the Afghan mission is all about.

"All of us collectively are doing a better job of explaining... that it’s not just a military one."

He said Canadians are there to help the Afghan people and their government become self-sufficient as soon as possible.

Since Canada began its involvement in Afghanistan, 70 soldiers and one diplomat have died.

Canada’s troop commitment to Afghanistan expires in February 2009, and the ambassador called on Canadians to be patient for signs of progress.

"History has shown us that all nations that have been post-conflict have had to go through many years of rebuilding and Afghanistan is no exception," Samad said.

Chris Alexander, the deputy head of the United Nations mission in Afghanistan, said everyone has to remain focused on bringing security to a country that has been ravaged by conflict.

"It’s going to be a team effort every step of the way and that means all the players on the team have to be there," he said in an interview.

But Alexander stressed that the lives of Afghans have improved over the past six years.

Stephen Wallace, vice-president of the Canadian International Development Agency’s Afghanistan Task force, agreed.

He said there had been remarkable progress in the fields of education and health.

"We have saved 80,000 more infant lives a year," Wallace claimed.

He also described the refugee situation as a success story, pointing out that since 2002 more than four million Afghans have returned to their country.

"Canada is playing a role (and) with patience and perseverance, we will make progress," Wallace said.

Most conference participants agreed NATO forces will be in Afghanistan for the long term.

And though there were calls for Canada to stay beyond its 2009 commitment, many agreed the decision should be taken by Parliament and the government.

Martin Howard, a NATO official, pointed out that Canada has been successful in Kandahar, what he called "the heartland of the Taliban."

"We think Canada is a major player in Afghanistan, both militarily and diplomatically and on the development front and we want it to stay," he said. "It’s not something we can force nations to do."

But military historian Desmond Morton said a withdrawal of Canadian troops from Afghanistan would be seen as a military setback.

"We would be seen as the people who left and more people would have to be found to deliver the success," he said.

The conference, which was organized by the Universite de Montreal, opened Wednesday evening with a speech by Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier.

His speech was interrupted repeatedly by about a dozen hecklers, two of whom were later arrested.