Gates asks Albania, regional countries to send more troops to Afghanistan

OHRID, Macedonia, Oct 8 – Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged Eastern European leaders Wednesday to shift their military efforts from Iraq to Afghanistan, where their forces are more urgently needed.
He was speaking at a meeting here of the Southeast European Defense Ministerial where Albanian Minister Gazmend Oketa was also present.
Gates said that as the security situation in Iraq continues to improve, countries should considered filling the “urgent need” for trainers in Afghanistan.
“Your assistance will not only help Afghanistan better protect and care for its citizens, it will also reinforce your important role in insuring peace and stability around the globe,” Gates said.
Albania has 23 troops in Afghanistan.
The U.S. has made it clear that it will gradually shift more troops to Afghanistan, as force levels in Iraq go down in the coming months. Commanders in Afghanistan have said they need as many as 10,000 more forces, in addition to the contingent of Marines and the Army brigade that have already been order to go later this year and early next year.
The SEDM process, which started in 1996 with its meeting in Tirana, is participated from Albania, U.S., Turkey, Italy, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Ukraine, Bosnia Herzegovina and with observer status Montenegro, Serbia, Georgia and Moldova.
At the meeting Oketa had also a special meeting with Macedonian counterpart Zoran Konjanovski to discuss on bilateral cooperation.
Unlike Albania and Croatia, Macedonia (the three created the Adriatic 3 Charter that is supported by the U.S.) did not get the membership invitation to NATO due to a rift with Greece on its name.