Sorry if someone else has posted, I'd be surprised if not, but didn't find it, CTV broke this story on the late news last night.
Article link: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080401/nato_afghanistan_AM_080401/20080401?hub=TopStories
U.S. to provide 1,000 more troops in S. Afghanistan
Updated Tue. Apr. 1 2008 11:08 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Washington has made an iron-clad commitment to provide 1,000 combat troops to bolster the NATO mission in southern Afghanistan, CTV News has learned.
Sources told CTV that Canada will also lease aerial drones from the U.S. at a cost of $165 million, and procure between four to six Chinook helicopters and an unspecified number of light-armoured vehicles from the U.S. army.
"The 1,000-troop commitment was a personal commitment made by President George W. Bush to Prime Minister Stephen Harper," CTV Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported Tuesday night.
"U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made similar pledges to their Canadian counterparts."
The news comes on the day France signaled its intention to send more soldiers to bolster the NATO effort in Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon, speaking in Paris, said several hundred more French troops can be expected, though he left it up to President Nicholas Sarkozy to provide the details.
Sarkozy is expected to announce exactly how many troops will be provided, and how and where they can be used, during a NATO summit on Thursday and Friday in Bucharest, Romania.
Harper will be at the summit, as will Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier.
Canada has said it requires an additional 1,000 NATO troops in Kandahar province, as well as equipment, if it is to extend its commitment beyond February 2009.
France had been expected to ante up the lion's share of those troops. But the U.S. commitment to provide troops to southern Afghanistan likely means a French contribution would be concentrated elsewhere.
Earlier reports had suggested a French announcement of 1,000 troops headed to Afghanistan to be a done deal.
But as he travelled to Bucharest for the summit on Tuesday, MacKay suggested Canadians shouldn't count on an announcement of extra French troops to help out in Afghanistan.
He told reporters "anything is possible," but added that there's lots of time to secure the troops.
"We've done everything humanly possible to set up those conditions that we would get results," MacKay said.
"Keep in mind we have until February '09 to fulfill those commitments. The sooner the better; the more the better. That's what we've been saying all along.
"As far as getting those commitments for every single piece of equipment and personnel -- that remains to be seen."
Many observers had expected France to use this meeting to announce it would answer the call, but MacKay's comments, which follow similar statements from Bernier and Harper, seem to suggest that may not be the case, said CTV's Graham Richardson after arriving in Bucharest.
"I think it's fair to say the signal coming from Defence Minister Peter MacKay is if we don't have what we require as set out in the Manley report this week here at NATO we have until February 2009 to get those troops."
Richardson said that Ottawa has taken a wait-and-see approach to a troop announcement, "(but) I would characterize Mr. Harper's people as optimistic that something is going to happen here in Bucharest."
MacKay pointed out that troop numbers have gone up significantly since the last NATO summit, including increased numbers in the volatile southern region, where Canada is doing much of the heavy lifting.
Richardson said there may be some behind the scenes politicking going on.
"What's unclear in this from Mr. MacKay's comments -- was he really lowering expectations for a real reason, or in a couple of days when the decision is made are they going to be able to say that despite our concerns heading in, we got what we needed, we got our 1,000 troops."
A surprise suitor
Georgia, the eastern European country that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union, has offered 500 troops for Afghanistan.
But one small caveat -- Georgia is not a NATO member -- and its wish to join the alliance is at the heart of this week's meetings. Straddled between Turkey and Russia, the country is in a key strategic location for both Russia and the U.S.
Russia does not want Georgia or Ukraine, the two countries that NATO is pondering adding to their membership this week, to join the alliance.
However, U.S. President George Bush stirred things up on Tuesday by backing the two countries request to join NATO.
But it's far from a done deal.
"Is Georgia's offer of 500 contingent on membership into NATO or is it an offer to get them into NATO?" Richardson said. "Those things are all possibilities."
Downplaying expectations
Bernier said this week's meeting may not produce the partner Canada needs to extend the mission.
He also said there is plenty of time to secure the extra troop commitments ahead of the 2009 deadline.
Critics, however, suggest Bernier is changing his tune after receiving Commons support for the extension, and that Canada's troops need an exit strategy.
"The opposition is already saying back in Canada we need some hard answers now, that we can't continue to wait for this," Richardson said.
While at the summit, Harper will also be at the meeting, taking part in a panel that will include Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Richardson said Canadian officials see Harper's presence on the panel as proof Canada's profile is rising in NATO and is responsible for making Afghanistan a priority within the group.
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Article link: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080401/nato_afghanistan_AM_080401/20080401?hub=TopStories
U.S. to provide 1,000 more troops in S. Afghanistan
Updated Tue. Apr. 1 2008 11:08 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Washington has made an iron-clad commitment to provide 1,000 combat troops to bolster the NATO mission in southern Afghanistan, CTV News has learned.
Sources told CTV that Canada will also lease aerial drones from the U.S. at a cost of $165 million, and procure between four to six Chinook helicopters and an unspecified number of light-armoured vehicles from the U.S. army.
"The 1,000-troop commitment was a personal commitment made by President George W. Bush to Prime Minister Stephen Harper," CTV Ottawa Bureau Chief Robert Fife reported Tuesday night.
"U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made similar pledges to their Canadian counterparts."
The news comes on the day France signaled its intention to send more soldiers to bolster the NATO effort in Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Francois Fillon, speaking in Paris, said several hundred more French troops can be expected, though he left it up to President Nicholas Sarkozy to provide the details.
Sarkozy is expected to announce exactly how many troops will be provided, and how and where they can be used, during a NATO summit on Thursday and Friday in Bucharest, Romania.
Harper will be at the summit, as will Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier.
Canada has said it requires an additional 1,000 NATO troops in Kandahar province, as well as equipment, if it is to extend its commitment beyond February 2009.
France had been expected to ante up the lion's share of those troops. But the U.S. commitment to provide troops to southern Afghanistan likely means a French contribution would be concentrated elsewhere.
Earlier reports had suggested a French announcement of 1,000 troops headed to Afghanistan to be a done deal.
But as he travelled to Bucharest for the summit on Tuesday, MacKay suggested Canadians shouldn't count on an announcement of extra French troops to help out in Afghanistan.
He told reporters "anything is possible," but added that there's lots of time to secure the troops.
"We've done everything humanly possible to set up those conditions that we would get results," MacKay said.
"Keep in mind we have until February '09 to fulfill those commitments. The sooner the better; the more the better. That's what we've been saying all along.
"As far as getting those commitments for every single piece of equipment and personnel -- that remains to be seen."
Many observers had expected France to use this meeting to announce it would answer the call, but MacKay's comments, which follow similar statements from Bernier and Harper, seem to suggest that may not be the case, said CTV's Graham Richardson after arriving in Bucharest.
"I think it's fair to say the signal coming from Defence Minister Peter MacKay is if we don't have what we require as set out in the Manley report this week here at NATO we have until February 2009 to get those troops."
Richardson said that Ottawa has taken a wait-and-see approach to a troop announcement, "(but) I would characterize Mr. Harper's people as optimistic that something is going to happen here in Bucharest."
MacKay pointed out that troop numbers have gone up significantly since the last NATO summit, including increased numbers in the volatile southern region, where Canada is doing much of the heavy lifting.
Richardson said there may be some behind the scenes politicking going on.
"What's unclear in this from Mr. MacKay's comments -- was he really lowering expectations for a real reason, or in a couple of days when the decision is made are they going to be able to say that despite our concerns heading in, we got what we needed, we got our 1,000 troops."
A surprise suitor
Georgia, the eastern European country that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union, has offered 500 troops for Afghanistan.
But one small caveat -- Georgia is not a NATO member -- and its wish to join the alliance is at the heart of this week's meetings. Straddled between Turkey and Russia, the country is in a key strategic location for both Russia and the U.S.
Russia does not want Georgia or Ukraine, the two countries that NATO is pondering adding to their membership this week, to join the alliance.
However, U.S. President George Bush stirred things up on Tuesday by backing the two countries request to join NATO.
But it's far from a done deal.
"Is Georgia's offer of 500 contingent on membership into NATO or is it an offer to get them into NATO?" Richardson said. "Those things are all possibilities."
Downplaying expectations
Bernier said this week's meeting may not produce the partner Canada needs to extend the mission.
He also said there is plenty of time to secure the extra troop commitments ahead of the 2009 deadline.
Critics, however, suggest Bernier is changing his tune after receiving Commons support for the extension, and that Canada's troops need an exit strategy.
"The opposition is already saying back in Canada we need some hard answers now, that we can't continue to wait for this," Richardson said.
While at the summit, Harper will also be at the meeting, taking part in a panel that will include Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Richardson said Canadian officials see Harper's presence on the panel as proof Canada's profile is rising in NATO and is responsible for making Afghanistan a priority within the group.
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