Government approves additional troops for Afghan mission

The government has approved reinforcements of 55 troops for the Czech contingent serving in Afghanistan. Earlier this year, lawmakers approved 535 troops to continue the Czech mission in the war-torn country, but finding approval for additional troops is not likely to prove easy. On Monday, the Social Democrats – long opposed to troop increases on foreign missions - wasted no time in coming out against the plan.

Martin Barták (left), Jan Fischer, photo: CTK

Defence Minister Martin Barták announced on Monday that the government had approved a proposal for increasing the number of Czech troops in Afghanistan by 55: 15 personnel to help train the Afghan police and an additional 40, along with two artillery hunting radars, to serve at the Polish base in Ghazni. But finding approval in the current political climate will not be easy. Social Democrat leader Jiří Paroubek made clear immediately that his party was against the troop increases and gave no hint of budging. A little earlier I spoke to Jan Hamáček, a Social Democrat MP and the head of the lower house’s foreign affairs committee, and asked him how he viewed the proposal approved on Monday by the government:

“We strongly believe that the number of troops we have currently in Afghanistan is adequate and enables us to fulfil the task that we have undertaken with the PRT to contribute to the reconstruction of the Logar Province, as well as to enhance the airlift capabilities of ISAF troops by means of the helicopter unit. Unfortunately what is being proposed now in a way goes against that. That means that we would not necessarily be focussing on just Logar but be deploying troops in other locations such as Ghazni. And we’re not convinced that is the best way for them to contribute.”

The Social Democrats take the greatest issue with the inclusion of hunting radars which Mr Hamáček has charged is only an excuse by the military to justify having invested in such expensive equipment; he also suggests the government could have handled the proposal better, saying there were some elements within the bill which his party might have been willing to discuss:

“I would make a distinction: I think it is a big mistake for the government to put the proposals into one document. I think that we would be willing to discuss the possibility of sending military instructors because we think that the Afghan police need more training and we could be apply to provide that. But by coupling it with the disputable proposal of the hunting radar, they didn’t give us a chance to choose. We have to vote on the whole package and we can’t afford that.”

Not surprisingly the Social Democrats’ greatest political rivals the right-of-centre Civic Democrats, have come out in favour of the government proposal, and have given Defence Minister Barták their backing. As it stands now, however, it is clear their support alone will not be enough. If through political dealings the bill is eventually to pass, the additional troops could be sent to Afghanistan sometime in the second half of 2010.