U.S. President Barack Obama went on a charm offensive in Europe Friday, making a pitch to NATO allies, and the public, for a greater commitment to the war in Afghanistan.
The Afghanistan conflict is very unpopular among the European public, but Obama is tremendously popular, and therefore took his argument for more NATO involvement in Afghanistan right to the people.
In a "campaign-style" town hall in Strasbourg, France, Obama took questions from young French and German citizens and discussed his plans to eliminate nuclear weapons, close the Guantanamo Bay prison and tackle global warming.
But it was the Afghan issue that Obama pressed on. He is likely to win some more support from his allies at the NATO summit in France, but his aids say he needs to frame those commitments in a positive light to European citizens.
"It's not just a matter of more resources, it's a matter of more effectively using the resources we have," Obama said. "It is important for Europe to understand that even though I'm now president and George Bush is no longer president, al Qaeda is still a threat, and that we cannot pretend somehow that because Barack Hussein Obama got elected as president, suddenly everything is going to be OK."
It is expected NATO allies will promise more civilian support, but not necessarily the soldiers needed to fight in dangerous parts of the country that are mostly patrolled by American and Canadian forces.
"I have asked our NATO partners for more civilian and military support and assistance," Obama said.
"We do this with a clear purpose to root out the terrorists who threaten all of us, to train the Afghan people to sustain their own security and to help them advance their own opportunity."
The goal, he said, is to be able to leave Afghanistan soon, in confidence that the country is in a better position than before the invasion.
"We have no interest in occupying Afghanistan. We have more than enough to do in rebuilding America."
Obama's new strategy for ending the war is to increase participation and make the effort more regional, focusing on Pakistan as well as Afghanistan.
"My focus on Pakistan does not envision NATO troop activities in Pakistan," he told a news conference after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"It does mean that the U.S. and NATO partners have to work more effectively with Pakistan to enable them to root out the safe havens for extremists that pose not just a danger to us but now pose an extraordinary danger to Pakistan."
Obama and the other leaders from the 28-member alliance, including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, are meeting in Strasburg for a two-day summit focusing on the Afghan mission.
In the past, some NATO members have contributed troops but with major caveats on how they can be used -- some restricted from doing any fighting whatsoever.
President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is hosting the summit, provided a red-carpet reception for Obama and wife Michelle when they arrived. Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni gave the American couple a warm welcome, along with hundreds of cheering people who awaited their arrival.
Sarkozy and Obama, who disagree on many issues, appeared to get along fabulously, much to the delight of the European press.
Sarkozy agreed to take a prisoner from Guantanamo Bay Friday, a symbolic gesture of unity with Obama's goals.
"We can't condemn the United States to have this camp and then simply wash our hands of the whole business when they close it down," the French president said.
Sarkozy also pledged more police trainers and funding for development in Afghanistan.
NATO mission criticized
NATO has taken tough criticism for its failure to make measurable progress in Afghanistan in the eight years since the war began. While there are 28 member nations involved in NATO, the majority of the fighting has been done by five or six countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom and the U.S. as major players.
Success in the country will be seen as an indicator of the relevance and strength of NATO, which is celebrating its 60th birthday.
Former finance minister and deputy prime minister John Manley, author of a major report on Afghanistan, said Obama has the best chance in years to garner new support for the mission.
"I think it's possible. The dynamic of these meetings with a new U.S. president is different from the meetings that were going on previously," Manley told CTV's Canada AM.
"President Bush was unpopular, to understate it, and there will be a lot of countries that are trying to establish a good and warm relationship with the new president."
Leaders attending the meeting are also celebrating France's return to full NATO participation. Though France is already the fourth largest contributor of troops to Afghanistan, the nation's membership in NATO has been limited for 43 years -- something Sarkozy has pushed to end.
Canada, which has taken the fighting lead in the south of Afghanistan, is scheduled to end its military role in the country in 2011.
Two new members, Albania and Croatia, will also be welcomed as new NATO members.
The alliance is also expected to take steps to improve relations with Russia, which have been strained since last year's war between Russia and Georgia.
Moscow is against Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO, a Bush-era plan. Russia also opposes a potential missile shield in eastern Europe -- another Bush project.
The NATO members are expected to name a new secretary general on Saturday to succeed Dutch diplomat Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who finishes on Aug. 1. Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay has been rumoured to be a possible contender for the job, though is it expected the position will go to a European.
