Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


NATO Chief: No Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan 'Before the Time Is Right'

Ayaz Gul

   ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said
   Monday Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan need to do more to meet the
   terms of a 2020 peace deal with the United States to allow for all
   international forces to leave the country by a May deadline.

   Stoltenberg spoke to reporters in Brussels ahead of a meeting later
   this week of allied defense ministers where the future of a NATO
   presence in Afghanistan will be discussed in line with the February 29
   U.S.-Taliban agreement.

   The NATO chief, however, cautioned against staging an abrupt foreign
   troop withdrawal, saying it could again turn Afghanistan into a haven
   for international terrorists.

   "There is still a need for the Taliban to do more when it comes to
   delivering on their commitments, including the commitment to break ties
   to not provide any support for terrorist organizations," Stoltenberg
   argued.

   "So, our presence is conditions-based. While no ally wants to stay in
   Afghanistan longer than necessary, we will not leave before the time is
   right," he stressed. "We need to find the right balance between making
   sure that we not stay longer than necessary, but at the same time, that
   we don't leave too early."

.