EU Presidency Supports U.S.-led Special ForcesEuropean Union (EU) rotating president Belgium on Friday expressed its support for the landing of U.S. special forces in Afghanistan, describing their presence as the next logical step in the fight against terrorism."The fact that there are commandos on the ground is a logical part of the operation," said Belgian foreign minister Louis Michel, who chairs meetings of EU foreign ministers. "It is necessary to eradicate evil wherever it is found," he told local RTBF radio. The United States has acknowledged its special forces have entered Afghanistan after nearly two weeks of U.S. air raids on Afghanistan. The United States has accused the Taliban of harboring Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network, which it holds responsible for the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington. Michel, whose country holds the EU presidency between July 1 and December 31, also reaffirmed the EU's support for the operation. "(We support it) but obviously ... on condition that the strikes are precise and limited and are supported by the United Nations," he said. At a summit in the Belgian town of Ghent, EU leaders are trying to close ranks behind the U.S. military operation in Afghanistan and accelerate their own anti-terrorism initiatives. The leaders from all 15 EU member states are expected to call for a central role for the United Nations in a post-Taliban political settlement in Kabul. |
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