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Australian Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has ruled out increasing Australia's troop commitment in Afghanistan a week out from a NATO summit in Bucharest.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Mr Fitzgibbon says there is no argument "whatsoever" for Australia to increase its troop commitment in Afghanistan, even after it withdraws more than 500 soldiers from southern Iraq in the middle of the year.
Both Mr Fitzgibbon and the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will attend NATO summit in Bucharest next week at which European and North American nations will forge a new strategy for securing Afghanistan, where the Taleban and al-Qaeda are resurgent and violence is at levels not seen since the 2001 invasion.
They have both made it clear they want a substantial increase in troop contributions from NATO countries, which will put pressure on Australia to do likewise. But Mr Fitzgibbon said Australia, with just over 1000 military personnel in the volatile southern province of Oruzgan, is not well placed to increase troops.
"As the 10th-largest contributor overall and the biggest non-NATO country, I just don't think there's an argument whatsoever for us increasing our contribution," Mr Fitzgibbon told the Sydney Morning Herald.
There are about 43,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan, plus 13,000 American personnel operating under their own command.
Mr Fitzgibbon said gaining more co-operation from Pakistan, where the Taleban and al-Qaeda leaders directing the insurgency in Afghanistan are based, was critical to success.
He also ruled out negotiating a peace deal with the Taleban's leadership, as suggested by the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, last year.
(c) NewsRoom 2008
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