PARIS, Feb 11 (KUNA) — France denied here on Monday any firm decision to reinforce its military deployment in Afghanistan, saying that discussions on this were ongoing with it partners in the NATO alliance.
France has just over 1,000 troops in Afghanistan, mostly located in relatively quiet areas around the capital Kabul. There are also a number of military combat instructors working with Afghan troops and France now has a detachment of three Mirage 2000D and three state-of-the-art Rafale fighters deployed in the troubled Kandahar area in the south.
The United States has called for a reinforcement of the 43,000 NATO and International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) troops in Afghanistan and has been critical of the commitment of some participating nations there.
A NATO summit in Bucharest in early April is due to discuss troops to its deployment in Afghanistan but that was emphatically denied here as it is a politically hot topic. Other sources said that 250 extra men for a more troubles zone in Afghanistan was more realistic.
There was also talk that France could deploy its “Le Clerc” main battle tank in Afghanistan, but these rumours have not been confirmed ways to improve the situation on the ground, where Taliban militias are proving resilient and combative.
“We are reflecting today at the best way to help the emergence of a stable Afghanistan,” French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani said in a briefing.
She recalled a visit to Afghanistan last December 22 by President Nicolas Sarkozy, during which he stressed the need to stabilize the situation and pursue French efforts in training the Afghan army, an area there the French military has been significantly involved.
France has upgraded its involvement at that level by deploying four operational combat trainer units (OMLT) and more are planned, although no specifics were given.
The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said that “the key to success is the commitment of the international community. It is for this reason that the President of the Republic decided to reinforce our presence in the OMLT (Operational Training Units).” There has been speculation here that France is willing to add 700 “Concerning the sending of eventual reinforcements, no decision has been taken. We deny any information that gives credence to the contrary,” Andreani said.
“Decisions will be taken at the NATO Summit in Bucharest. Thats the moment when the President of the Republic will announce them,” the spokeswoman indicated.