Rasmussen Says NATO Optimistic over Afghan Transition

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Monday he was confident the transition from NATO to local control of security in Afghanistan will be completed by 2014 as planned.

"I am quite optimistic about fulfilling the timetable to transfer lead responsibility to the Afghans, a process that started in July this year and that will be completed by 2014," Rasmussen told members of NATO's parliamentary assembly gathered in Bucharest.

"I feel confident that we can fulfill and follow the roadmap as it was outlined at the NATO summit in Lisbon," he insisted.

As some lawmakers said they doubted the Afghan forces' ability to take over from the alliance, Rasmussen said NATO had already handed over the lead on security in seven provinces, accounting for 25 percent of the population.

"Later this month, I would expect president (Hamid) Karzai to announce the next tranche of transition and it will be just as substantial," with between 40 and 50 percent of the Afghan population living under the responsibility of local forces.

He admitted nevertheless that training the Afghan police was "quite a challenge".

"But also here we have seen gradual improvement, There is still a lot to be done, absolutely, but I will not consider it mission impossible, on the contrary."

The secretary general added that the Afghan security forces had become "more and more capable, quantitatively as well as qualitatively."

"They participate in all major military operations and we believe that they have handled recent security incidents in an excellent way," he stressed.

The transfer of responsibility for security to Afghan forces is to be completed by 2014 to coincide with the timetabled foreign troop withdrawal.