At the Security Table

Kenneth Roth, head of Human Rights Watch, will be speaking to defense experts during the Munich Security Conference this weekend on how -- and why -- soldiers should behave in war situations.

"Human Rights Watch spends about half of its time in war zones," said Roth. "And in these war zones, the militaries are often the ones committing abuses. In our view, it's important to talk to the militaries and change their conduct so that they're more respectful of civilian lives."

Not enough in northern Afghanistan

As far as the German military goes, Roth has said the Bundeswehr's mission to Afghanistan is hampered by too many caveats and should be far more efficient.

"Human Rights Watch would like to see Germany play a greater part in the security situation throughout Afghanistan," he said. "The Taliban in the south is posing a serious threat, and currently that burden is born by the United States, Canada, Britain and the Netherlands, but not by Germany."

Roth also criticized the Bundeswehr's activity in northern Afghanistan, saying that it's not doing enough to ensure security, which is evident in the resurgence of repressive warlords.

"The result is that many girls are now not able to go to school and many women are not able again to go out on the street," said Roth. "It's beginning to look like the situation that led to the Taliban in the first place."

Rights group favors Tornados

The head of the German section of Human Rights Watch, Marianne Heuwagen, who accompanied Roth in a visit to Berlin on Thursday, added that she had no qualms about plans to send German Tornado reconnaissance planes to Afghanistan as early as April.

"As long as the Tornados are there to safeguard the reconstruction process and protect the civilian population from Taliban attacks, Human Rights Watch will remain in favor of the mission," Heuwagen said.

Pressure to shut down Guantanamo

While in Munich, Kenneth Roth will also address the issue of the US detention camp at Guantanamo. He said he'd like to propose a deal between Europe and the US that would entail greater involvement on Germany's part.

"We'd like Germany and the EU to say to the US: we will help you resettle the people which can be released," said Roth. "You take some of them in the United States, we take some in Europe in return for you really shutting down the facility."

The plan would involve prosecuting any legitimate terror suspects in fair trials, but everyone else should be released promptly, Roth added.

If implemented it would be a "grand bargain" that he said would "pressure the Bush administration to do what it claims it wants to do -- to ultimately close down Guantanamo, but to do it now rather than at some indefinite point in the future."