Russia wants US to focus on Afghan terrorism, illegal drugs

WASHINGTON, July 30 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia wants U.S. and NATO forces
to succeed in Afghanistan, but cannot agree with all their actions,
according to a high-ranking Russian security official.
"We assist U.S. and NATO operations in Afghanistan and we are
interested in their success," Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security
Council Vladimir Nazarov told Tass on Thursday after completing a working
visit to the United States.
However "we do not agree with everything they do in Afghanistan," he
added.
Nazarov explained Russia wants the coalition to focus on the fight
against terrorism and illegal drugs in Afghanistan and said the task
cannot be accomplished by an army.
"We would like to see more efficient actions aimed first and foremost
against terrorism and drug trafficking. We believe the effort is
insufficient. The actions shall be professional, pinpointed and carried
out with the use of special forces and means," he said.
"We are constantly telling our U.S. partners and we know it from our
own experience that the armed forces are not adapted to the fight against
terrorism," Nazarov said, adding special forces and pinpointed actions
"would prevent losses among civilians that are unacceptably high today."
He said Russia is also greatly concerned over the situation in
neighboring Pakistan. "The terror machine created in the 1980s on the
territory of Pakistan that was nurtured also with American money continues
to operate, this time against those who created it," Nazarov said.