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Afghanistan and Pakistan

My Lords, I am grateful for the endorsement from both noble Lords opposite of the bravery of our troops and the sacrifices by them. The noble Lord, Lord Howell, drew our attention to the families, who we often think about only in the context of the troops who, sadly, die when they are in theatre. It is good to remember today the families that are left behind when their loved ones are away fighting. Not long ago I met several brave wives and partners and I promised to bring their bravery to the attention of the House. I am glad that the noble Lord also mentioned the sustained needs of the wounded. I believe that not only are this Government providing the most excellent care for soldiers when they go to Selly Oak, but also that things are improving for their long-term care. The noble Lord asked for a clear definition of objectives, strategies and vision. Today’s Statement clearly articulates what our strategy is and what it has been for some time. I am reminded of the Statement made by the Prime Minister in April this year. Today’s Statement builds on that strategy by taking a slightly different approach, but still building on the strategy of "Afghanisation". The noble Lord also asked how our strategy fits in with that of the United States. In many ways we are trailblazing here. As the Statement says, the Prime Minister has had many conversations with President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton and I am confident, from what the Prime Minister has said, that our strategy will dovetail with that of the US when it is announced. Before I go any further, perhaps I may draw the attention of the House to a recent statement by the Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirrup, in which he says: ""I welcome the Prime Minister’s announcement of an increase to our force level for the mission in Afghanistan"." There is also a statement from Sir David Richards, Chief of the General Staff: ""We asked for 9500 and that is what we have got"." I believe that this is tangible proof that the Government are working in tandem with military chiefs of staff, which is something that was much needed. In relation to Pakistan, our contacts with the military in Pakistan are good and I would draw to the attention of noble Lords to a brief mention made in the Statement of a meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan that took place in September. There were several key outcomes from the meeting which point to the fact that all these friends are working together to support Pakistan, including the establishment of a multi-donor trust fund for the border areas to provide co-ordinated financing mechanisms for donor-supported areas affected by terrorism, militancy and extremism. In answer to the noble Lord, Lord McNally, the Friends of Democratic Pakistan include Saudi Arabia and Iran, so we are all working together for the benefit of the people of Pakistan and in fighting the terrorists there. I have been asked about the poppy crop. Great progress is being made through the wheat initiative that we have had this year and it is clear from the statistics for 2008-09 that the poppy crop has gone down. However, we are anxious to ensure that counternarcotics is not a strategy on its own, but that it is mainstreamed into all aspects of governance. Like all noble Lords, we are aware that there is a direct link between finance for terrorism and the poppy crop. We talk to our NATO allies all the time and we are trying to encourage them to send more troops to Afghanistan. We believe that one or two countries may be ready to do that, but we will certainly keep talking. In response to the points made about equipment, I think it was the noble Lord, Lord McNally, who said that the Government are not doing their duty and are somehow shifting the blame on to the military—not shifting the blame, I shall not put it like that, but saying that it is the military that must decide. I believe that the Government are doing their job and that we are going about this in the right way. We are working with the military, but of course the needs of our troops on the ground change all the time and these types of equipment are not kept on the shelf. It takes time to ensure that the right equipment is available in the right place, and that is what we are doing all the time. I think that we are now getting the balance right. The noble Lord was quite correct that it is important that the Government are questioned closely about this just war. While all of us in this Chamber broadly agree that this is a war that has to be fought and are wholeheartedly behind our troops, we have somehow failed to undertake our duty as Members of the House of Lords, as well as members of the Government and Opposition, to get that message out to the people of this country, whose support our troops on the ground need and deserve. I agree that military advice should not be tainted by politics. I was asked about the EU. I do not know where we are in terms of a conference being called, but we certainly welcome the increased attention that the European Union is paying to Pakistan. The UK is giving its full support to the work of the Swedish presidency of the EU, designed to lead to an enhanced and more coherent EU contribution to the civilian effort in Afghanistan. We look forward to the outcome of the October European Council, which will endorse and give momentum to this strengthened approach. It is just one more reason why it is important for us to be working with our allies in the European Union and why we need a strong European Union.