STRASBOURG, France, April 3, 2009
Obama Seeks NATO Help On Afghanistan
President Capitalizes On His Popularity In Europe, Wowing Leaders And "Town Hall" On Eve Of Key Summit
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President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama are greeted by France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy at Palais Rohan in Strasbourg, France, April 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
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President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama disembark Air Force One as they arrive in Strasbourg, France, April 3, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
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President Barack Obama arrives for a news conference at the G-20 summit at the ExCel Centre in London, April 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reacts as she delivers a brief statement at the Afghanistan Conference in The Hague, Netherlands, March 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
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Play CBS Video Video Clinton On Afghanistan Conference Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sat down for an interview with CBS News' Lara Logan to discuss the current conference taking place at The Hague on the future of Afghanistan.
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Video Afghanistan's Future A meeting between 70 countries was held in The Netherlands to discuss the future of Afghanistan. As Lara Logan reports, a U.S. diplomat also held an informal meeting with Iranian delegates.
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Video Afghan - U.S. Ties Strained "Only On The Web": At a conference on Afghan and Pakistani relations being attended by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, it seemed U.S. relations with Afghanistan are strained, reports Lara Logan.
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Interactive The NATO Alliance Learn about the history of the defense group, check out the 26 NATO members.
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Fast Facts Afghanistan Learn about the people, economy and history.
In return, he's hoping for European popular support in the anti-terror fight in Afghanistan.
Obama seems likely to win fresh commitments at Saturday's 60th anniversary NATO summit. He can expect more civilian aid and small troop increases for training Afghan forces and providing security for upcoming elections.
But the European public has no stomach for more intense military involvement by their nations. So Obama is unlikely to get additional help in the way of either major combat troops or new deployments to the toughest areas of the fighting in southern and eastern Afghanistan.
Obama and his aides sought ahead of time to frame that outcome in the best possible light.
"It's not just a matter of more resources, it's a matter of more effectively using the resources we have," Obama said.
That comment came in the midst of a remarkable event he created at a basketball arena in Strasbourg, a campaign-style "town hall" in which he fielded questions from young French and German men and women.
President Obama is fighting a cold, but he continues to keep an ambitious schedule, reports CBS News correspondent Charlie D'Agata. He started his European tour in London, and will wrapping up his trip in Turkey next week.
Thousands are cheering the Obama at every stop, but there are also many protestors - usually kept far way from the president, D'Agata reports.
Police in France fired tear gas at several hundred demonstrators in Strasbourg. This weekend up to 40,000 protestors are expected at the NATO summit.
The two-day conference - co-hosted by the Rhine river cities of Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany - is the second of three major international meetings taking place in Europe this week. The U.S. president's meeting with European Union leaders in Prague on Sunday also will focus on economic issues.World Watch Blog: U.S. Seeks Non-Military Aid From NATO
Mr. Obama and the leaders of the G20 made headway Thursday on tackling the world's worst financial crisis since the 1930s, but the NATO summit may prove a larger diplomatic challenge for the U.S. leader.
Mending ties with Russia that have been strained over the alliance's eastward expansion and last summer's war between Russia and Georgia as well as welcoming two new members from the Balkans - Albania and Croatia, which joined NATO this week - are also high on the crowded agenda for NATO's 28 member nations.
Separately, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that securing new commitments from allies would neither begin nor end with the NATO meetings, noting that nations need more time to digest Obama's week-old revamped Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy. "The NATO summit is not a pledging conference," she told reporters.
 | Map: Obama's Overseas Trip A day-by-day guide to one of the most closely watched presidential trips in recent memory. |
NATO's ability to succeed in Afghanistan will be seen as a crucial test of the alliance's power and relevance.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged after talks with Obama that his nation would send more police trainers and civilian aid.
"We totally endorse and support America's new strategy in Afghanistan," Sarkozy told a joint news conference.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel also met with Obama and said Germany wanted to bear its share of the responsibility in Afghanistan. She offered no specifics about Germany's plans for Afghanistan, where it already has 3,800 troops, mostly in the calmer north.
Backing from Sarkozy and Merkel is vitally important for Obama, who will formally present his new strategy to the heads of government of NATO's 28 member states at a dinner on Friday in the German resort town of Baden-Baden.
At the news conference with Sarkozy, Obama described NATO as "the most successful alliance in modern history," and said Washington wanted to see Europe develop its military capabilities.
But Obama also encouraged a skeptical Europe to support his revamped strategy for rooting out terrorism suspects in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and said Europe should not expect America to send combat troops by itself.
"This is a joint problem," Obama said on the cusp of the NATO summit. "And it requires a joint effort."
Obama offered strong praise for France's "outstanding leadership" in Afghanistan, where it has 6,100 troops.
British officials traveling to the summit with Prime Minister Gordon Brown told reporters aboard his plane that Brown will offer to send more troops to Afghanistan but that depended upon other NATO members being prepared to send additional forces, Britain's Press Association reported. Officials said the number would likely be in the "mid to high hundreds." Britain has 8,000 troops in Afghanistan.
Spain said ahead of the summit that it will increase the number of soldiers it has in Afghanistan with a small contingent to help train Afghan army officers. Spain has 778 troops as part of the 55,000-strong NATO presence.
Belgium said it will add some 65 soldiers to the force of 500 it already has in Afghanistan, and will send two more F-16 jet fighters, bringing the total number it has sent to six. Belgium will also double its financial aid to an annual $14.5 million over the next two years.
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Obama's national security adviser, retired Gen. James Jones, said Obama's new approach to Afghanistan, which calls for increasing U.S. troops by 21,000, narrowing the mission on uprooting terrorist safe havens and broadening the focus to include Pakistan, would inspire fresh involvement. "I think there's a new mood," Jones 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. ... We cannot pretend [that] ... suddenly everything is going to be OK.
Barack ObamaJust hours before the summit was to start over dinner in the German town of Baden-Baden, Mr. Obama continued his lobbying.
He wowed a 4,000-strong crowd of French and German citizens at the arena in Strasbourg. He also laid the flattery on thick with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and thicker with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Obama praised Sarkozy as "courageous on so many fronts, it's hard to keep up" and for displaying "initiative, imagination, creativity" in tackling difficult problems.
Sarkozy said Obama would visit France again in June, to mark the anniversary of the 1944 D-Day invasion by allied forces at Normandy.
At the town hall, Obama explicitly asked Europe to step up to a greater extent in Afghanistan, saying Europeans should recognize that the threat from extremists there and in neighboring Pakistan endangers them as much - even more, he said - as it does Americans.
"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," he said. "This is a joint problem. And it requires a joint effort."
After concluding the NATO gathering, Obama will fly to Prague for yet another summit on Sunday, this one between the United States and the European Union. The Czech Republic holds the rotating EU presidency. The president then will stop in Turkey for two days.
The NATO summit comes three days after an Afghan conference in the Netherlands which saw a rare face-to-face meeting of U.S. and Iranian diplomats.
CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan reported that, although Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invited the Iranians to the conference, saying they had a vested interest in Afghan stability as one of the country's immediate neighbors, she may not have liked everything they had to say.
That conference also exposed some of the tension which has gathered between Afghanistan's leaders and the U.S. and other Western countries, reported Logan.
Despite assurances from both Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Clinton that Washington and Kabul remain united in their fight against extremism, the Obama administration has been less vocal in its support for Karzai than the previous White House.
Other NATO countries - Canada in particular - have expressed concerns over corruption and said Karzai is making too many concessions to conservative Islamic factions in his own country to maintain power; a worrying trend, some say, back toward Taliban-type Islamic rules.
Back home, some Republicans tried to dent the impact of the Obama adulation in Europe, criticizing him for making no plans to visit wounded U.S. troops at an American military hospital just a short distance away in Landstuhl, Germany.
Though the town hall was billed as a way to escape the presidential bubble by interacting with young foreigners, "not only to speak to you but to hear from you," Obama did most of the talking - delivering a 25-minute introductory speech and giving long answers to the five questions he took afterward.
In urging greater contributions from Europe, Obama attempted to both seduce and scold.
He touched on some of the more important issues for Europeans in relations with the U.S., drawing hearty applause for several points.
In a symbolic gesture, Sarkozy announced France would accept one prisoner from the detention center for suspected terrorists. "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," Sarkozy said. Spain and Portugal have already said they could accept prisoners, while Germany and many others remain tightlipped about whether they will accept prisoners who are not citizens of their nations.
Obama acknowledged "doubt about this war in Europe," and he thanked European nations for the contributions they already have made in Afghanistan. But he said the status quo isn't enough.
"Europe should not simply expect the United States to shoulder that burden alone," Obama said.
Asked, at Merkel's side, if Germany should do more, he said, "We do expect that all NATO partners are going to contribute. They have thus far, but the progress in some cases has been uneven."
Air Force One departed from Stansted airport Friday morning through a thick blanket of London fog for the short flight to Strasbourg. Breakfast was served during the flight: French toast. One U.S. pool reporter recalled a flight during President George W. Bush's leadership when "Freedom toast" was featured on the Air Force One breakfast menu.
Upon arrival, the First Couple was whisked to the summit venue and greeted by a mob of adoring French citizens shouting for a handshake, and then by Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni.
The couples greeted each other warmly and then the presidents stood to listen to a French band play the American National Anthem.
© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Add a Comment See all 43 Comments
- I personally think it is all a waste of time. we have done what we went in to do with the exception of Bin Laden. Get our men and women out and leave them to them selves.
If you believe the war on Terror will ever be won, Tell Elvis, Marylin, and James Dean I said Hi when you have dinner with them. It will never end. If we do find Osama there is someone right behind him to take his place and on and on and on. unless we convert everyone to the same religion and the same thinking terror will always be around.
So bring them home and worry more about the future attacks that will happen, and spend the Billions of dollars we are spending over there here. - Reply to this comment
- Obama seeks Nato help on Afghanistan why so we can lose more troops? Bin Laden is not there he is in Iran being protected by the Iranian regime why are we even fighting a bunch of rogues there anyway this sounds as if Afghanistan could be Obama's Iraq if we stay there.
Posted by wdh3007 at 8:54 PM : Apr 3, 2009
LOL You don't have a clue what is going on do you? LOL IF you knew what you were talking about, IF you were an American who supported your President and cared enough to research the issues, you'd know that the Religious Leaders of Iran have been in conflict with the Religious Leaders of Al Queada for longer than anyone can remember. Al Queada is RADICAL Sunni and Iran is Radical Shia. LOL Maybe you should use some of the energy you are expending trying to trash the Best President we've had in my memory on a little education?? - Reply to this comment
- why don't you save your vitriol for the ones who got us into this mess?
and the one who's trying to clean it up?
seems you're part of the problem, not the solution.
Posted by karlimhof at 2:59 AM : Apr 4, 2009
Well I think tonight is the night they burn their cross so we shouldn't expect anything close to what you would expect from a Normal American here! - Reply to this comment
- It's amazing how the Messiah talks out of both sides of his nicotine-stained mouth.
And the Liberals continue to worship him.
Posted by hawksprings
No what is amazing is how you can continue to refer to 66%, that was his last approval rating, of American's as "Liberals". You have to be the most uneducated cracker I've ever encountered. American's are proud of their new leader and rightfully so! IF you were an American and wanted our New Leader, who the rest of the world so obviously likes, you'd be proud too. - Reply to this comment
- Whilst on the whole i agree with many of the comments about europes contribution to the Afghan war, it must be remembered that we in the UK has lost 200 or so of our lads since 2001.We are not a big or rich country anymore but the UK has 8000 of its forces there,and for the last 12 months has taken the fight to the Taliban in the South.We often hear of great victories in the papers and on TV, and sadly see the return of our dead in our villages and towns on an almost weekly basis.The campaign in Afghanistan is a just war and I think despite everything we have done a great job.
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- Why believe Einstein's paranoid notion on revenge? He proposed that the American Army Air Corps drop atom bombs on ten Japanese cities and ten German cities to end the war. He further encouraged the Americans to drop one atom bomb on an Italian city and one atom bomb on a Spanish city because they allied with Hitler. Militants in the Middle East will not be quelled by military jets, drones, or helicopters armed with missiles and rockets. Barack Obama should negotiate a peace treaty with every militant group in Afghanistan and Pakistan espousing morality and for settlement on the issues.
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- the bush/cheney wars in iraq and afghanistan will remain their legacy
and while there was widespread support throughout the world after 9-11 for the afghan
operation, bush/cheney saw a more "promising" venture in iraq, dropped the ball, and lost the world's support totally.
now President Obama is faced with the problem of renewing Nato support in a very different political and economic situation for the Afghan war. It is essential to get that support because if it becomes a solely American operation the propects are not good for anyone. - Reply to this comment
- It's amazing how the Messiah talks out of both sides of his nicotine-stained mouth.
And the Liberals continue to worship him.
Posted by hawksprings
why don't you save your vitriol for the ones who got us into this mess?
and the one who's trying to clean it up?
seems you're part of the problem, not the solution. - Reply to this comment
- Let's no forget the Europeans were fully on board after the 9/11 attack, but it was America who shifted the war to Iraq and insulted anyone and everyone who didn't rush off to war with us. We didn't apologize or even admit we were wrong about the WMD's. We didn't apologize about using information from European intelligence sources in Colin Powell's U.N. address, even though the Europeans told us the source for the info was a known liar and the information was, in their opinion, a complete fabrication. The Europeans had been fighting our fights against terrorism for decades, but we weren't concerned because all the bombings against American targets which killed almost only Europeans was 'over there'. For Obama to say Europe was at risk against terrorism was a naive statement, somehow overlooking the fact the Europeans have born the brunt of our battles for years. After a single day of attacks, 'We The People' have somehow felt justified to insult, berate and belittle the world for having been right and the U.S. being wrong about the realities of the situation. President Obama has an opportunity to mend bridges but, if we start by demolishing our allies bridges to reconstruct 'made in America' designs, this time of cooperation will quickly disappear and America will find itself alone and at fault - again. Perhaps a degree of open-mindedness with a focus on common goals would serve better.
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- The Masses, I was wondering who that gorilla was also.
- Reply to this comment
- Wonder why this article doesn't quote the Messiah slamming America left and right while on foreign soil??
It's amazing how the Messiah talks out of both sides of his nicotine-stained mouth.
And the Liberals continue to worship him. - Reply to this comment
- Obama seeks Nato help on Afghanistan why so we can lose more troops? Bin Laden is not there he is in Iran being protected by the Iranian regime why are we even fighting a bunch of rogues there anyway this sounds as if Afghanistan could be Obama's Iraq if we stay there.
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- With Republican bloggers like those on those board, is it any wonder Americans shun any affiliation with them. You would think, that if these bloggers are adult at least they could string together thoughful, intelligent commentary..
As for the topic, we Americans stepped up the plate during World War II. The time has passed for European's unrealistic politics. Europeans need to step up the plate to help fight this conflict against terrorist forces. The terrorists have harmed them and they have harmed us. We engage terrorists because we are a people who love our liberty. Must they be reminded the liberty many Europeans enjoy is because of the blood many American guys spilled on their soil. - Reply to this comment
- Awwwwwwwwww, sor Uhmbamba the narcissist thinks his widdle popularity contest in Europe is going to convince us all that his communist regime is 'for the good of all!'
Who in their right mind is buying this load of horse manure?
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Most Americans. If you believe the polls. Have a nice night. - Reply to this comment
- This should prove to be interesting.
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- His Satanic Mac Hanic, Honky
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- Show us a token of your good will, general.
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- too bad america wasn't fighting here the last 8 years. no instead, dubya and the republicans kept saying iraq was the fight for usa. hey republicans, afghan's taliban govt shielded al qaeda; you know, the folks responsible for 9/11. iraq had nothing to do with that.
republicans and neocons, what bunch of sore losers! - Reply to this comment
- Would the bulk of a billion Islamics be stronger allies than the bulk of 6 million Israelis ?
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- The G20 seems to have quite a positive spin. It is sort of a coming out party for the new President. Leaders of other counties wanted to meet the new President and see who they will be dealing with. They seemed to have found a sane and rational person based in reality and practical. This is a nice outcome for leaders that had to put up with a raving maniac like Bush.
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