By IANS,
Ottawa : Canada has decided to pull out of a NATO project that collects strategic information through unmanned aerial vehicles.
“NATO has been informed of these decisions. The details of our withdrawal are still under discussion with NATO,” said Kim Tulipan, spokeswoman for the national defence department. The full withdrawal will be effective this spring, she added.
The Alliance Ground Surveillance project was conceived in 1992. Canada signed a memorandum of understanding with 13 other countries, including the US, Germany and Norway, in 2009, Xinhua reported Friday quoting the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
The program, with its main operating base in Italy, provides NATO the ability to have “eyes on target” at strategic ranges to help monitor weapons of mass destruction and military force build-ups, evacuation operations, civil unrest and anti-piracy.
Meanwhile, Tulipan stressed that Canada’s commitment to NATO remains firm.