By Jakob Nielsen in Chicago

NATO’s 28 member countries have confirmed their ambition to withdraw battle troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. But Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt has made it clear that Danes, possibly including armed troops, will remain in Afghanistan long after 2014.

“There is no doubt that we will have Danes in Afghanistan after 2014. There will be a need for military training personnel and those who can help with civilian reconstruction. And when Danes are deployed, we must also ensure their security,” the prime minister said following the Chicago NATO summit dinner.

The government has not yet decided how many Danes will be deployed or how long they will remain in Afghanistan. Over the next year, the issue is to be negotiated with the other member countries, and Danish political parties will be consulted.

Thorning-Schmidt is under no illusion about the society that NATO leaves behind when its battle troops are withdrawn in 2014.

“There should be no unrealistic expectations. (Afghanistan) is the world’s third poorest country. Seventy per cent of the population is illiterate. You cannot expect it to be a democracy like ours, but nonetheless we can demand that they abide by human rights and respect the rights of women,” Thorning-Schmidt says.

She said that NATO countries were progressing in achieving their contribution target of the USD4billion per year it is expected will be necessary to keep the Afghan security forces functional.

Thorning-Schmidt also confirmed that President Obama had personally previously asked Denmark to reverse its decision to leave a joint project to purchase unmanned drones for NATO monitoring.

A majority in Parliament decided in 2010 to withdraw Denmark from the project as it was too expensive. But last week, the same parties reversed their decision after President Obama had discussed the issue with Thorning-Schmidt during a meeting earlier in the year.

“I think Obama has mentioned the issue with everyone who has visited him at the White House. He also mentioned it to me,” Thorning-Schmidt says.

“It is an important project for NATO and if Denmark is to be a core country in NATO, we also belong in the project,” the prime minister says.

The NATO summit continues later today, with non-NATO countries who have contributed in Afghanistan will join the meeting to discuss Afghanistan’s future.

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