[R-G] Bush seeks troops to aid Canad

[Anthony Fenton]

Bush seeks troops to aid Canada
Urges NATO nations to do more in Afghanistan z 1,000 more fighters  
needed in south
By: Sheldon Alberts
Updated: March 2, 2008 at 12:40 AM CST
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/story/4135535p-4727511c.html

CRAWFORD, Texas -- U.S. President George W. Bush urged NATO members  
Saturday to come to Canada's aid in southern Afghanistan, promising  
to join the effort to convince European allies to meet Ottawa's  
demand for another 1,000-soldier strong battle group by early 2009.

Following a summit here with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh  
Rasmussen, Bush said his main goal at next month's NATO summit in  
Bucharest will be to press for the deployment of more troops in  
southern Afghanistan.

"I understand there's certain political constraints on certain  
countries. And so I am going to go to Bucharest with the notion that  
we're thankful for the contributions being made, and encourage people  
to contribute more," Bush said at a news conference on his Texas  
ranch. "The United States is putting in 3,200 additional Marines. We  
are trying to help Canada realize her goal of a thousand additional  
fighters in the southern part of the country."

Bush's remarks could provide Prime Minister Stephen Harper with some  
added negotiating power with nations like France, which last month  
signalled its desire to help Canada meet the military goal.

The Harper government has introduced a confidence motion that extends  
Canada's commitment in Afghanistan past 2009, setting a 2011 end date  
for the country's military mission. The new Canadian role would place  
greater emphasis on reconstruction and training of Afghan security  
forces, and has the tentative support of Stéphane Dion's Liberals.

But Ottawa has said the continuation of Canada's role in Afghanistan  
is contingent on other NATO allies providing 1,000 more troops. In a  
phone call last month, Bush reportedly assured Harper the U.S. would  
step up and provide the extra troops if NATO does not deliver. On  
Saturday, however, Bush said his first priority is to get Europe more  
involved.

"My administration has made it abundantly clear we expect people to  
carry a heavy burden if they are going to be in Afghanistan," Bush  
said. "Look, if we're going to fight as an alliance, let's fight as  
an alliance."

Bush's summit with the Danish prime minister was his second high- 
level meeting on Afghanistan in as many days. He met Friday in  
Washington with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who  
told the U.S. president the alliance is in Afghanistan "for the long  
haul."

The Harper government motion would see all 2,500 Canadian troops out  
of Kandahar by December 2011. Denmark currently has about 800 troops  
under British command in the southern Afghan province of Helmand,  
which has seen some of the heaviest fighting over the last year.

The Danes increased their troop levels last autumn and Rasmussen did  
not signal plans to further increase Denmark's commitment.

"I feel confident that we can convince partners to contribute with  
more troops than today," Rasmussen said. The key to securing more  
NATO troops is showing nations "the successes that are being  
achieved," Bush said. "Remember last year about this time, it was,  
the Taliban was going on the offensive; the Taliban was going to be  
doing this, the Taliban was going to be doing that. Well, the Taliban  
had a bad year when it came to military operations."

The U.S. has almost 30,000 troops in Afghanistan, about half of them  
deployed to the NATO coalition.

-- Canwest News Washington Correspondent