To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the role of the British military is in effecting reconciliation in Afghanistan. (273713)

[holding answer 8 May 2009]: As the Prime Minister reiterated in his statement of 29 April 2009, Official Report, column 871, a key element of UK strategy in Afghanistan is to support the Afghan Government as they take forward the process of reconciliation.

International forces are in Afghanistan to create the security environment required for a successful Afghan-led political settlement.