Under shadow of Brexit, Nato backing for Afghanistan and war on ISIL

Despite progress on policy, exit of Britain from European Union loomed large over two-day summit in Warsaw.

US president Barack Obama greets Afghan president Ashraf Ghani and chief executive Abdullah Abdullah, right, at the Nato summit in Warsaw, Poland, on July 9, 2016. Markus Schreiber / AP Photo

Amid solidarity with Afghanistan, stern discouragement of Russian meddling in the former Soviet bloc and pledges to combat ISIL, Nato last night completed a summit that was truly if unofficially dominated by Brexit.

The 28-nation alliance, meeting in the Polish capital of Warsaw with a UAE delegation among the observers, agreed a range of measures supporting Ukraine and the Afghan government and helping Middle Eastern and North African countries targeted by terrorists.

But it was also clear that the deep uncertainty felt by businesses and individuals about Britain’s referendum vote to leave the European Union was the issue weighing most heavily on the minds of the heads of state and officials.

“It is probably not an exaggeration to say there is almost no other subject on the table when I get together with my colleagues,” Britain’s foreign minister, Philip Hammond, who opposed Brexit, said at a dinner on Friday. “We are at a Nato meeting but most of the discussions have not been about Nato issues; they have been about the outcome of the referendum and the consequences.”

The US president Barack Obama raised his concerns in private talks with the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.

Officials say they countered his desire for a swift conclusion of the so-called divorce settlement between Britain and the EU by reiterating Brussels’ line that proceeding too quickly could damage unity among the 27 states that will remain within the bloc.

But there is widespread recognition that the consequences of Brexit could prove severe, despite Mr Obama’s claim that talk of the “entire edifice of European security and prosperity crumbling”, or a negative impact on transatlantic relationships, amounted to misplaced hyperbole.

Firm negotiations are unlikely to start until Britain has a new prime minister, with the ruling Conservative party due to decide between two candidates, the interior minister Theresa May and a former junior minister, Andrea Leadsom, in September. Only then will a decision be taken on when to trigger the exit clause beginning up to two years of negotiations.

Turkey, which previously counted on British support to resist wider EU hostility towards its own bid to join the union, is also worried that Brexit robs it of a rare ally.

On Afghanistan, facing renewed security fears as a result of intensified Taliban attacks, the alliance appeared united after a meeting on Saturday attended by the country’s president, Ashraf Ghani, and chief executive, Abdullah Abdullah.

Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said heads of state were agreed that Afghanistan “does not stand alone – and we are committed for the long haul”.

As Washington seeks to reduce its own military involvement, Mr Stoltenberg said non-US funding pledges, already made or expected, convinced him the target of US$1 billion (Dh3.67bn) a year was close to being reached. The US spends $3.45bn annually on training, advising and supporting Afghan forces and has eased plans for immediate cuts in troop levels.

Nato forces, including the US contingent, will remain in 2017 at about the same level as this year, “around 12,000”, Mr Stoltenberg said.

“Afghan security forces are now responsible for security across the whole country. They are defending the Afghan people with dedication and courage; we continue to train, advise and assist them; but Afghanistan still faces serious instability and violence; so our continued political, military and financial engagement is of great importance.”

Mr Stoltenberg highlighted as key decisions the alliance’s agreement to maintain the present level of support beyond this year, firm commitments to continue funding to 2020 and continued backing for “long-term political partnership and practical cooperation with Afghanistan”.

In a joint declaration after the talks, delegates stated: “Our aim remains that Afghanistan will never again become a safe haven for terrorists who can pose a threat to our security, and that it is able to sustain its own security, governance, and economic and social development, while respecting human rights for all of its citizens, notably those of women and children.”

On the threat from ISIL to the Middle East and North Africa, Nato said it would deploy surveillance planes to support the US-led coalition in Iraq and Syria, begin “training and capacity-building” for Iraqi forces, boost cooperation with Jordan, launch a new Mediterranean naval mission and help Libya’s new government devise policies and institutions to protect itself against extremists.

Mr Stoltenberg also mentioned Nato hopes to establish an intelligence centre in Tunisia, a fruitful recruiting ground for ISIL, and provide support to Tunisian special operation forces.

As the summit closed, he hailed the alliance as a “fundamental source of security for our people, and stability for the wider world”.

* Additional reporting from Reuters and Associated Press