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European Council

My Lords, I join the Prime Minister and the Minister in mourning another death of a fine soldier in an explosion in Helmand. I shall start where the Prime Minister’s Statement finished, on Afghanistan. I have three questions for the Minister. What did EU leaders agree as the strategic objective of the Afghan war? What further commitment of troops was made by any EU state? In view of the continuing deaths and injuries as a result of the lack of airlift capacity, did the Prime Minister ask our EU partners for any help with this problem, and, if so, what was their response? Paragraph 42 of the presidency conclusions says: ""The European Council stresses the need for the second round of the Presidential election to be credible, inclusive, secure and reflect the will of the Afghan people"." How can the EU, or indeed the UK Government, believe that, after a man whose win we dismissed as corrupt was returned unopposed? Beyond the tragic news from Afghanistan, I thank the Minister for repeating the Statement. However, this is yet another Statement reflecting the declining UK influence in Europe that has flowed—