Speaking on Saturday in the Afghan capital, Angela Merkel emphasised that stabilisation must be given "an Afghan face" more than has hitherto been the case. The aim must be to enable the country to take control of its own fate, step by step. She saw progress, she said, but also problems.

During a meeting with President Hamid Karzai, the Chancellor assured him that Germany would be committing even more resources than it has already to the build-up of the Afghan police force. In the troubled south of the country, no troops of the Federal Armed Forces are to be posted. "If there is one area in which Germany should do more, it is in building up the police force," underlined the Chancellor.

The German government will thus be exploring the possibility of making more cash available for police training. "We want to see whether it is possible to underline our commitment here within the scope of budget consultations," declared the Chancellor.

Over the last five years, Germany has provided 74 million euros for police training. Next year, the draft national budget provides for an increase in annual funding to 20 million euros. Until the middle of this year, Germany was the lead nation in police training. To date a total of some 19,000 police officers have been trained and upgraded. Currently 42 German police instructors are working in Afghanistan.

With over 3,000 soldiers, Germany has the third largest contingent in the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in Afghanistan. Launched in December 2001, the Isaf is working on behalf of the Untied Nations to support the Afghan government, helping it ensure respect for human rights and internal security. The troops of the Federal Armed Forces are stationed in the north of the country and in and around Kabul. Since April 2007 German tornado reconnaissance aircraft have also been in action.

Security – the foundation to build on

Merkel stressed how important police work is for reconstruction. People need security if they are to press on with civilian reconstruction. The aim must now be to transfer responsibility gradually to both the Afghan police and the Afghan army, said the Chancellor. "The most important thing is that we must follow through what we have started."

President Karzai declared that the Afghan army must be better trained and equipped. He thanked Germany for the many years of "selfless assistance". "We Afghans all know that Germany is one of our old and valued friends," said the President.

Army, police and civilian reconstruction all equally important

At the headquarters of the German troops in the north of the country, the Chancellor later gained an impression of the human dimension of the Afghanistan mandate. German soldiers, male and female, spoke openly to the Chancellor of their problems and concerns. Immediately after arriving in Masar-i-Sharif, Merkel visited a memorial to the members of the Federal Armed Forces killed in action in Afghanistan.

The Chancellor made special mention of the commitment of civilian reconstruction workers. Reconstruction cannot be achieved will military force alone, she declared. With President Karzai she met schoolboys and girls attending the Amani upper secondary school, which was rebuilt with German assistance.

It was the Chancellor's first visit to Afghanistan. In addition to her meeting with President Karzai, she met the commander in chief of the Isaf troops, the United States General Dan McNeil, the UN Special Envoy Tom Koenigs and the leader of the EU police training mission, Jürgen Scholz.