Some 200 More Hungarian Troops To Go To Afghanistan

"I have informed the president of the republic about our intention" – said Gordon Bajnai after his meeting with Vice President Joe Biden. This contribution is tailored to the military capabilities of Hungary, "we participate in logistics and training operations, we support the Afghan elections."

It has not been decided yet what kind of military personnel will go to Afghanistan, but naturally, the government will respect the parliamentary decision stipulating that only 10 per cent of our troops can participate in foreign operations. The head of the government said that the cabinet will have to do some regrouping in order to comply with the aforementioned decision. The prime minister also explained that in regions the strategic importance of which is similar to that of the Balkans, we would not like to give up the commitments we have undertaken to date. "If, by any chance, it will be necessary to send more troops, we will turn to the parliament," added Gordon Bajnai, noting that he personally believes that it will not be necessary in the short term.

In answer to the inquiry of the Hungarian Press Agency (MTI), the head of the government said that the budget does not have to be modified in order to increase the personnel numbers of the Afghanistan contingent in several steps – adding that the government will fund the extra demand from the budgetary reserve. As regards troop reinforcements, there is no need for a special parliamentary decision, for it is within the scope of authority of the government until it does not exceed the limits authorized by the National Assembly. The prime minister emphasized that in his opinion the importance of this decision obliges the government not only to inform, but also to consult the parliamentary parties.

After his meeting with the Hungarian Prime Minister, Vice President Joe Biden told the US and Hungarian press that this contribution, the 200-strong troop reinforcement – as a result of which the personnel number of Hungarian forces will reach 500 – may seem little, but it is a major commitment from Hungary, a country with a population of 10 million.

Barack Obama, the President of the United States announced on Wednesday that they will send another 30, 000 US soldiers to Afghanistan. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that NATO counts on at least 5,000 more troops from the allies.

At present, 340 Hungarian soldiers are stationed in the Central Asian country.