France may send 'few hundred' troops to Afghanistan

[CHIMO]

PARIS — France might send a few hundred extra troops to Afghanistan, Prime Minister Francois Fillon said on Tuesday, clashing with the opposition Socialists who accused the government of pandering to the United States.

NATO powers will meet in the Romanian capital from April 2 to 4 and Afghanistan is expected to be a main issue. French diplomats said that if France increased its contribution, it would do so on the understanding that other countries would too.

Mr. Fillon said earlier on Tuesday France would not support bids by Georgia and Ukraine to obtain a Membership Action Plan – a road map to eventual entry already secured by Croatia and Albania – at the NATO summit, putting it at odds with Washington.

Diplomats say the issue has deeply divided NATO states, which are examining alternative options for Ukraine and Georgia.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080401.wfrance0401/BNStory/International/home

Bush-Putin row grows as pact pushes east

George Bush and Vladimir Putin yesterday appeared to be on a collision course ahead of today's critical Nato summit in Bucharest, which could determine the future of the alliance and its relationship with Russia.

Bush said: "I strongly believe that Ukraine and Georgia should be given MAP and there's no trade-offs. Period."

A British official yesterday said it was unlikely MAPs would be offered to Ukraine and Georgia, but added: "The Americans are very enthusiastic on this, and they're quite good at getting their own way."

Meanwhile, the French offer of troops for Afghanistan triggered uproar in a parliamentary debate in Paris, where Jean-Marc Ayrault, head of the Socialist parliamentary group, said President Nicolas Sarkozy's choice to announce more troops at Westminster last week was a "humiliation" for French MPs. He said the troop reinforcements "have little to do with Afghanistan and much to do with President Sarkozy's Atlanticist obsession."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/02/nato.georgia

Looks like Afghanistan is quite a bit down on the list. The Beaker has really shoved one to us on this!

[Canuckistanian]

1. Apparently, France will send commandos which will be no help to us.

We'll still depend on American Marines for relief in Kandahar.