Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen says that he does not intend to meet demands from the Socialist People’s Party to discuss en exit strategy for Danish troops in Afghanistan.

“We must keep a cool head now. But, of course, Danish soldiers must not be in Afghanistan a minute more than is necessary,” Løkke Rasmussen says, adding that if Afghan operations are to succeed, Denmark and the other NATO countries must send more resources to the country.

“Now is the time to be persistent at the military level. And we must get the other countries to do more. We must not relieve the pressure – on the contrary it should be increased,” the prime minister says.

Obama plan
President Obama has said that he will be announcing his plans for America’s involvement in Afghanistan in the next couple of weeks.

“If the American president decides to send more troops, the other countries should back him up and increase their contribution,” Lars Løkke Rasmussen says.

Fogh Rasmussen
The Danish prime minister’s statement comes as the NATO secretary –general has called for increased contributions for Afghanistan, not only in the form of soldiers but also funding, materiel and personnel to train Afghans.

“First of all I would like to say that there is every reason to appreciate the major effort that Denmark has exerted. In relation to its size, Denmark does a lot and we even have soldiers operating in Helmand, which is a particularly exposed region,” says Løkke Rasmussen’s predecessor, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

“But having said that, I would like to emphasise that my call is to all countries without exception. It would be good to see whether one is able to do more,” Fogh Rasmussen says.

Fogh Rasmussen adds decision have to be made soon which require the ‘right internal balance’ in the Alliance.

“If the Americans decide on a larger contribution, it is important that the other allies see how they can contribute. And what I’m saying now is that there is a range of possibilities,” Fogh Rasmussen says, citing in particular training missions for the Afghan military and police.

“It is important for the entire alliance that it is not just an American task,” Fogh Rasmussen says.