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STATEMENT BY SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN ON THE NATO SUMMIT
November 22, 2010
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) made the following statement regarding the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Lisbon, Portugal:
“I welcome NATO's announcement that it will seek to transfer responsibility for Afghanistan's security to Afghan forces by the end of 2014. I also appreciate that this new transition date is a goal, not a guarantee of complete withdrawal, and I welcome the Secretary General's statement that NATO forces will remain engaged in Afghanistan as trainers and advisers after 2014. The focus now, for the United States and our NATO allies, must be to succeed in our mission of protecting the Afghan people, degrading the insurgency, supporting the growth of just and effective governance, and training professional Afghan security forces that can increasingly take the lead in combat operations based on conditions on the ground. That is how U.S. and NATO troops will return home with victory and honor.
“I am also pleased by NATO's decision to continue expanding and improving missile defense in Europe. Russia's acceptance of NATO's invitation to cooperate in this endeavor is a positive step. Hopefully it signals Russia's recognition of what I and others have said all along – that missile defense in Europe is neither directed at nor a threat to Russia, but rather designed to protect the United States and our allies from rogue regimes like that of Iran. The United States and NATO should waste no time in continuing to develop and deploy the missile defense systems in Europe necessary for our common security – with Russian cooperation if possible but without it if necessary.”
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