EU doubts Afghanistan success: WikiLeaks files

Another set of U.S. diplomatic cables collected by WikiLeaks could prove embarrassing for the war effort in Afghanistan.

Leaked memos show European Union President Herman Van Rompuy toldthe U.S.ambassador to Belgium, Howard Gutman, that the EU no longer believes in the successof themilitary mission in Afghanistan.

Van Rompuy, a former Belgian prime minister, suggested European troops are still being deployed only to bow to what the United States wants.

"Europe is doing it and will go along out of deference to the United States, but not out of deference to Afghanistan," he is quoted as saying ina cable posted by the WikiLeaks whistleblowing website on Sunday.

In the 2009 memo, Van Rompuy is reported to have saidthe EU will wait until the end of 2010 to see whether progress is made in Afghanistan.

"No one believes in Afghanistan any more. But we will give it 2010 to see results. If it doesn't work, that will be because it is the last chance. And if a Belgian gets killed, it would be over for Belgium right then," he says.