NATO states's representatives will meet in the Romanian capital of Bucharest from April 2
to 4 and diplomats will focus on the issue of Afghanistan. They are expected to
work on a new strategy for Afghanistan.
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Tuesday that France may send a few hundred troops to Afghanistan. France already
has 1,500 soldiers who serve in the 47,000-strong NATO force, Reuters reports. Instead
of an extra 1,000 troops, the prime minister indicated a smaller support.
“Our armed forces in Afghanistan
may invest more in the command structures, particularly in Kabul, in training the Afghan army and in the
units in the Afghan provinces," he told a parliamentary debate on the
Afghan operation, quoted by Reuters. “The numbers could be something like a few
hundred extra soldiers,” the Prime Minister added.
This decision comes after the United
States, Britain
and Canada
have urged allies to send more troops to help battle a revived Taliban. The
socialists have accused the government of gratifying the United
States, by putting U.S.
interests before France’s.
Jean-Marc Ayrault, the leader of the socialist group in the
Lower House of Parliament said, according to Reuters, that Fillon’s decision
had little to do with Afghanistan
and a lot to do with what he named “Sarkozy’s Atlanticist obsession.” He said
the president wanted a “global strategic alignment” with Washington, instead of a partnership of
equals.
France’s
public opinion is against Fillon’s plan; only 15 percent approve his decision,
while 68 percent disapprove it, a BVA opinion poll released on Monday showed,
according to Reuters.
The president has the power to send troops to conflict areas
without Parliament’s approval. France’s
constitution guarantees him this right.
French diplomats said in case other countries decide to
increase their contribution, France
would also do so.
