.Colombia Ready to Send Troops to Afghanistan
WASHINGTON – Colombia is ready to contribute troops to the NATO-led security force in Afghanistan, the Andean nation’s defense minister said.
“We have negotiations underway with the Afghanistan government to guarantee the immunity of our soldiers, an immunity equivalent to that enjoyed by soldiers from other countries participating in the anti-terrorist effort in Afghanistan,” Gabriel Silva told reporters in the U.S. capital.
“That is the only obstacle still pending,” Silva said as he was leaving a meeting with Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) during his week-long state visit to Washington.
The minister offered no details about how many Colombian soldiers would be sent to Afghanistan or when they would go, though he did say they would take part in tasks related “clearing minefields, humanitarian aid, training special forces and fighting drug trafficking in Afghanistan.”
Silva said that Colombia has in force more than 150 collaboration pacts in the fields of security and defense, and is also taking part in a number of international forums to do with humanitarian aid and development, as is the case with earthquake-stricken Haiti.
He said that “the responsibility of collaborating with other countries is inherent to being part of the international community,” and if Colombia “wants to receive support, solidarity and cooperation, it has to give them as well.”
The deployment of Colombian troops, he said, will be done at “the first window of opportunity that comes up” after the international judicial and logistical matters are settled.
The Colombian soldiers will join the more than 80,000 military personnel serving with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, the defense minister said.
Silva began a visit to Washington on Monday to lobby Congress and the U.S. government for the continuity of U.S. aid in the counter-narcotics initiative known as Plan Colombia and the approval of a bilateral trade pact negotiated during the Bush administration.
Under Plan Colombia, Washington has provided nearly $7 billion in mainly military aid to Bogota since 2000. Chris Dodd is one of several prominent senators who have called for a re-evaluation of the program, citing human rights abuses and the lack of impact on the street price of cocaine. EFE
LAHT
“We have negotiations underway with the Afghanistan government to guarantee the immunity of our soldiers, an immunity equivalent to that enjoyed by soldiers from other countries participating in the anti-terrorist effort in Afghanistan,” Gabriel Silva told reporters in the U.S. capital.
“That is the only obstacle still pending,” Silva said as he was leaving a meeting with Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) during his week-long state visit to Washington.
The minister offered no details about how many Colombian soldiers would be sent to Afghanistan or when they would go, though he did say they would take part in tasks related “clearing minefields, humanitarian aid, training special forces and fighting drug trafficking in Afghanistan.”
Silva said that Colombia has in force more than 150 collaboration pacts in the fields of security and defense, and is also taking part in a number of international forums to do with humanitarian aid and development, as is the case with earthquake-stricken Haiti.
He said that “the responsibility of collaborating with other countries is inherent to being part of the international community,” and if Colombia “wants to receive support, solidarity and cooperation, it has to give them as well.”
The deployment of Colombian troops, he said, will be done at “the first window of opportunity that comes up” after the international judicial and logistical matters are settled.
The Colombian soldiers will join the more than 80,000 military personnel serving with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, the defense minister said.
Silva began a visit to Washington on Monday to lobby Congress and the U.S. government for the continuity of U.S. aid in the counter-narcotics initiative known as Plan Colombia and the approval of a bilateral trade pact negotiated during the Bush administration.
Under Plan Colombia, Washington has provided nearly $7 billion in mainly military aid to Bogota since 2000. Chris Dodd is one of several prominent senators who have called for a re-evaluation of the program, citing human rights abuses and the lack of impact on the street price of cocaine. EFE
LAHT
posted by madtom at 6:36 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home