Russian threat to Nato supply route in Afghanistan

Times Online ^ | August 26, 2008 | Jeremy Page

[Schnucki]

Russia played a trump card in its strategic poker game with the West yesterday by threatening to suspend an agreement allowing Nato to take supplies and equipment to Afghanistan through Russia and Central Asia.

The agreement was struck at a Nato summit in April to provide an alternative supply route to the road between the Afghan capital and the Pakistani border, which has come under attack from militants on both sides of the frontier this year.

Zamir Kabulov, the Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan, told The Times in an interview that he believed the deal was no longer valid because Russia suspended military cooperation with Nato last week over its support for Georgia.

Asked if the move by Russia invalidated the agreement, he said: “Of course. Why not? If there is a suspension of military cooperation, this is military cooperation.”

Mr Kabulov also suggested that the stand-off over Georgia could lead Russia to review agreements allowing Nato members to use Russian airspace and to maintain bases in the former Soviet Central Asian states of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

“No one with common sense can expect to cooperate with Russia in one part of the world while acting against it in another,” he said.

His remarks are likely to alarm Nato commanders because the Taleban have been targeting the supply routes of the alliance this year, mimicking tactics used against the British in 1841 and the Soviet Union two decades ago. Nato imports about 70 per cent of its food, fuel, water and equipment from Pakistan via the Khyber Pass, and flies in much of the rest through Russian airspace via bases in Central Asia. It has not started using the “northern corridor” because the deal – covering nonmilitary supplies and nonlethal military equipment – has yet to be cleared with the

[goldstategop]

The Russians are signaling that if you act against our interests, we are free to act against yours. The application of pressure is a two way street and where you harm us, you too can be harmed.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[MimirsWell]

Simple solution for NATO. Offer all of Kashmir to India and an offer to take out Pakistani nukes for good in return for cooperation in Afghanistan.

If NATO looks like it has lost its nads to the Russians, there will be other warm spots in the world that will go red hot in no time.

Taiwan, Iran-Syria, North Korea (less likely but still) and Pakistan itself.

[papasmurf]

I do believe that we have relations established with other *stans in the North and North West regions of Afghanistan if we need them.

[SeeSharp]

"I do believe that we have relations established with other *stans"

How's that? Turkmenistan is completely in Russia's pocket. 100% of their gas exports go through Russia. Kazakhstan doesn't border Afghanistan. And some idiot busybody judge in New Jersey tried to take away the kids of the daughter of Uzbekistan's president. I don't think we have much pull in the stans. The only reason those governments were warming up to us in the first place was because they were afraid of Russia. But now that they've seen how weak we are they aren't going to do us any more favors.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Bump.