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France prepares to send troops to Afghanistan
France is preparing to take part in the multinational security force for Afghanistan but the number of troops it will contribute hinges on agreements to be reached with Afghan officials, the defense ministry said on Tuesday.
France is preparing to take part in the multinational security force for Afghanistan but the number of troops it will contribute hinges on agreements to be reached with Afghan officials, the defense ministry said on Tuesday.
"We will participate in the multinational force and we are preparing ourselves. We are working on a number of scenarios. The scale of our participation will depend on the decisions," a defence ministry press official said. Afghan leaders agreed in principle on Tuesday to welcome the deployment of a multinational force comprised of 5,000 troops.
Prime Minister Lionel Jospin last week said France would send several hundred men to take part in the force to be deployed in Kabul as the new government takes office.
French officials said a contingent of between 150 to 300 special forces could be deployed before the interim government takes office on Saturday and a further 500 to 600 men could join them later.
But defence ministry officials said on Tuesday that those figures were preliminary and that discussions were continuing on the scale of the French participation in the force. "Our participation will be in line with the overall figure and the capabilities of the mission once defined," said an officer at the army general staff.
Britain, which is expected to lead the force, has announced that it will contribute up to 1,500 troops and that the advance forces should be in place by Saturday. Argentina has also said it will send 600 troops and Italy has offered about 300 including paratroopers and military police. Spain is prepared to send 700 troops including mountain rangers and marine infantry, according to press reports.
Bureau Report
"We will participate in the multinational force and we are preparing ourselves. We are working on a number of scenarios. The scale of our participation will depend on the decisions," a defence ministry press official said. Afghan leaders agreed in principle on Tuesday to welcome the deployment of a multinational force comprised of 5,000 troops.
Prime Minister Lionel Jospin last week said France would send several hundred men to take part in the force to be deployed in Kabul as the new government takes office.
French officials said a contingent of between 150 to 300 special forces could be deployed before the interim government takes office on Saturday and a further 500 to 600 men could join them later.
But defence ministry officials said on Tuesday that those figures were preliminary and that discussions were continuing on the scale of the French participation in the force. "Our participation will be in line with the overall figure and the capabilities of the mission once defined," said an officer at the army general staff.
Britain, which is expected to lead the force, has announced that it will contribute up to 1,500 troops and that the advance forces should be in place by Saturday. Argentina has also said it will send 600 troops and Italy has offered about 300 including paratroopers and military police. Spain is prepared to send 700 troops including mountain rangers and marine infantry, according to press reports.
Bureau Report