Gregg Participates in White House Meeting in Afghanistan
AFHANISTAN
New Hampshire Union Leader
Daisy Hsiang-Ching Tseng
Boston University Washington News Service
Oct. 6, 2009
WASHINGTON—President Obama told congressional leaders Tuesday he was going to make a decision promptly on whether to increase the troop level in Afghanistan.
Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., who participated in the meeting at the White House with leaders of both parties in the House and Senate, said in a phone interview that though no conclusions were reached, he felt positive about the meeting’s importance.
“I appreciate the President’s invitation to join him and other congressional leaders at the White House to discuss the mission in Afghanistan and Pakistan,” he said in a statement before the meeting.
The White House invited 31 members of Congress to the one-and-half-hour closed meeting after Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Monday that war advice should be provided to the President “candidly but privately.”
“There were a lot of opinions expressed,” Gregg said in the phone interview after the meeting, “and that’s always good to hear everybody’s thoughts.”
Obama made it clear in the meeting that he was going to make a decision in a timely manner, according to Gregg, but that he had to consider all the options because the decision is important.
“There were a lot of good thoughts put on the table,” Gregg said. “The problem is, there’s no good solution. It’s a very difficult situation.”
The subject of the proper troop level in Afghanistan was discussed widely in the meeting, according to Gregg. Whether to increase the troop level, whether to commit to a long-term high-level troop strategy in Afghanistan and how to deal with Pakistan in the context of Afghanistan and the region are all at issue.
The primary goal, Gregg said, “is to finally disrupt and hopefully terminate Al Qaida.”
The immediate issue is whether Obama will widen the war again after adding 21,000 U.S. troops earlier this year. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top commander of U.S. and international troops in Afghanistan, concluded days before that more U.S. troops are needed beyond the 68,000 already there.
Although the President said he would make a decision quickly, Gregg said he was not sure how things would develop in the future.
“I don’t know what we can expect,” Gregg said, “but the President’s got a tough call here. It’s not going to be an easy decision either way.”
In the earlier statement, Gregg said that success in Afghanistan is critical to regional stability and national security and that the nation must remain focused on the mission.
“If, as the White House has said, withdrawal is not an option,” he said, “then it is imperative that we provide our commanders and courageous troops with the direction, resources and reinforcements they need as soon as possible in order to accomplish their mission safely and effectively.”
Before the meeting, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said that leaving Afghanistan wasn’t an option and that the President wanted to hear from all of those who are involved in protecting the homeland and keeping the country safe before making his decision.
“The president isn’t making the decision based on politics,” Gibbs said.
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