By Erin Block
Washington File Writer

Washington -- A senior State Department official says the NATO allies need to "step up" their efforts to assure security for Afghanistan's first free elections after 30 years of war and violence.

"NATO has made commitments to increase the amount of forces in order to secure safety for the elections. They need to do this," said the State Department's Coordinator for Afghanistan William Taylor.

Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington June 21, Taylor said the Taliban are intent on disrupting the presidential and parliamentary elections, which are scheduled to take place in September.

"They don't want the elections to happen. They really see as we do that this is an opportunity for the Afghan people to decide who will run their country. And they are not interested in having that happen. The Taliban are very clear about their intent and determination to throw-off the preparation for and the execution of these elections. That's our challenge. It's the Afghan's challenge, it's the international community's challenge, and it's the American's challenge. We need to provide security," said Taylor.

Speaking at the same forum, Mark Schneider, Senior Vice President for the International Crisis Group in Washington, said the NATO summit in Istanbul June 28-29 could be "the last chance for NATO countries to make good on what is really their commitment."

"If NATO doesn't involve itself more, there will not be sufficient security to carry out the necessary demobilization of militias and extend a sense of security around the country in order to enable the elections to take place," Schneider said.

The Taliban are bombing voter registration centers and killing election workers as a strategy to disrupt the September vote, said Taylor.

For the elections to have legitimacy, the Afghanistan people must be able to participate, but people will only participate if it's safe, said Taylor.

Schneider said security was important not only for election day but also during the political campaign period.

"Elections do not mean simply vote here on a given day without people being killed. It means enabling the population to engage in a political campaign and political parties," said Schneider

Currently 4.1 million people are registered to vote for the presidential and parliament elections in Afghanistan, and with two months left, Taylor is optimistic that that number will reach the "critical mass" of 6 million, which President Karzai established last week.

Afghans are registering in "droves" with approximately 100,000 people visiting the UN registration centers per day, said Taylor.

Furthermore, 36 percent of the 4.1 million are women, which Taylor called "a major accomplishment for this part of the world."

According to Taylor, the lines of security have been mapped out and the recruiting and training of police and soldiers is under way. He said the Afghan police force numbers about 20,000.

The Afghan National Army has been deployed in several areas of Afghanistan, said Taylor.

"So far we have seen well-trained, highly motivated and very competent Afghans making up the ANA. The Afghan people seem very proud," said Taylor.

"U.S. led-coalition forces will also try to provide a secure environment, and there's some indication that we can. For the Constitution Loya Jirga in December, we mounted a campaign against al Qaeda that kept them off-balance and al Qaeda was not able to disrupt the Constitutional process as they promised and threatened to do. We need to put those forces on the defensive again so that the elections can take place on schedule just like the Constitution Loya Jirga," said Taylor.

Afghanistan Ambassador to the United States Said Tayeb Jawad said the elections are a tool to overcome the problems in Afghanistan and build a civil society.

Schneider agreed, saying that a functioning legal system and the establishment of rule of law will help Afghanistan combat drug traffickers.

"We need to stop them at the borders and stop them on the roads," said Schneider.

Schneider prioritized the drug war into three steps:

"Number one interdict, number two destroy the labs and warehouses where the drugs are processed and then three eradicate [destroy the crops], but do it," said Schneider.

Taylor added that the risks to opium processors, traffickers, farmers and chemists for engaging in the drug trade is far too low.

"Right now there's almost zero risk and incredible reward so the ratio is not in our favor at this point. The message should be getting out that farmers can lose a lot because of the eradication program," said Taylor.