FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (Sept. 24, 2009) - German Ambassador Klaus Scharioth spoke to students, faculty and staff of the Command and General Staff College Sept. 16 in the Lewis and Clark Center's Marshall Hall. He outlined the need for a whole of government approach for success in rebuilding Afghanistan, similar to what the United States did in Europe with the Marshall Plan.
Scharioth has been the German ambassador to the U.S. since March 2006. He was born in Essen in Germany's industrial northwest region, and said his family on his father's side lived in East Germany.
"I really grew up not only in a divided country, but also in a divided family," Scharioth said.
He said the fall of the Berlin Wall Nov. 9, 1989, marked the beginning of a new era of freedom and democracy in Germany and all of Europe, and that he is grateful to America for the role it played in ending the Cold War. He credited the Marshall Plan's emphasis on reconstruction and cooperation after World War II in forging the relationship America and Germany share today.
"He (Marshall) knew that his plan would bring former adversaries together and turn them into allies, and over time, if I might add, friends," Scharioth said. "Today, Germans stand side-by-side with Americans to take on the most formidable challenges of the world's stability and security."
He said there are now 4,250 Germans in Afghanistan, the third largest contingent behind the U.S. and the U.K. Germany is also the lead nation for the International Security Assistance Force's Regional Command North based in Mazar-e-Sharif, and has five Provincial Reconstruction Teams under its command.
"It (Afghanistan) demonstrates that no country, no matter how powerful, can successfully counter today's threats alone," Scharioth said.
Scharioth said the U.S., Germany and their allies have had success and made progress in Afghanistan, citing the number of people now with access to hospitals and medical care, an improved transportation infrastructure, and a growing number of students enrolled in schools and universities. He said all of these things help facilitate economic growth and stability, and described Afghanistan as a place of strategic opportunity.
"Our joint engagement has brought back a remarkable degree of security, of development and individual freedom to the Afghan people," Scharioth said.
Scharioth warned that successes are not irreversible, saying that the overall security situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated, and the conduct of last month's presidential election is cause for concern. He said the Taliban continues to grow stronger and is working to undue their reconstruction efforts, create a climate of fear and reinstate the rule of terror.
Scharioth said Germany believes in the progress approach, which focuses on training security forces, prosecutors and judges, and other government officials how to achieve their shared goals of security, reconstruction, reconciliation, good governance and the fight against corruption.
"Once the Afghans are able to take care of their own security, we will be able to bring our troops home. This is why training the Afghan security forces - Army and police - is so crucial," Scharioth said.
He said success depends upon cooperation at all levels, and the most important key to success in Afghanistan is to win the trust and friendship of the Afghan people.
"The reasons we started our engagement eight years ago are just as valid today," he said. "We must not let Afghanistan become a haven for terrorists again, threatening our security, our way of life and our values," Scharioth said.
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