KABUL, Afghanistan, July 03, 2010, SPA -- The new U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan is calling for unity between the civilian and military effort in the nearly 9-year-old war. Gen. David Petraeus told a crowd of about 1,700 Afghan, American and international guests at the U.S. Embassy Saturday that cooperation between the military and civilian effort «is not optional.» It was Petraeus' first public comment since arriving Friday night to assume command, according to a report of the Associated Press. --SPA 12:55 LOCAL TIME 09:55 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/798511