Solar Energy News  
THE STANS
Canada opposition blasts Afghan mission extension

by Staff Writers
Ottawa (AFP) Nov 15, 2010
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper's extension of an Afghan military mission beyond a parliamentary-mandated 2011 exit drew fire from opposition parties on Monday.

Last week, Ottawa announced it would deploy military trainers -- up to 1,000, according to opposition parties -- until 2014 to help Afghan security forces take over security in the war-torn nation.

Canada's main opposition Liberals are backing the new training mission.

But the leftist New Democrats and separatist Bloc Quebecois accused Harper of breaking a promise to bring Canada's 2,800 troops home this summer after nine years spent routing insurgents. They also noted Harper vowed to seek parliamentary approval for any mission extension.

"Unilaterally extending the military mission in Afghanistan is the wrong thing to do," New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton told reporters in comments later echoed by Bloc Quebecois lawmakers.

"This is a sad deterioration in the level of democratic accountability that Canadians have come to expect."

Harper, at the helm of a minority Conservative government since 2006, acknowledged last week that securing support from parliament was important "for the sake of legitimacy" when it comes to warfighting.

"But when we're talking simply about technical or training missions, I think that is something the executive can do on its own," he added.

In parliament, Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff pressed the government to release details on the number of military trainers to be deployed, where they would operate and whether they would remain "behind the wire."

"We are five days away from the Lisbon summit and the government is unable to stand in the House and tell us exactly what the post-2011 combat mission looks like," he said.

NATO leaders plan to discuss Afghanistan and map pout the future of the transatlantic alliance during a meeting in Lisbon on Friday and Saturday.

"There is no credible politician in the Western world who believes that you can be serious about the future of Afghanistan and not be concerned about its security," Liberal MP Bob Rae said, insisting that NATO training for Afghan troops was the only solution.

But Layton noted that any such training meant soldiers would be exposed to danger and likely combat.

"So it's time for our troops to come home," he added.

The conflict has claimed the lives of 152 Canadian soldiers, as well as a journalist, aid workers and a senior diplomat since the start of the Canadian combat mission in 2002.



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
News From Across The Stans



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


THE STANS
US has plan to hand over Afghan combat missions: report
Washington (AFP) Nov 14, 2010
The US government has developed a plan to transfer combat missions in some areas of Afghanistan to Afghan security forces over the next 18 to 24 months, The New York Times reported late Sunday. Citing unnamed officials, the newspaper said the plan envisaged ending US combat missions in Afghanistan by 2014. The report came after Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that the US military ... read more







THE STANS
BlueFire Renewables Receives Final Permits For Cellulosic Ethanol Facility

Strategic Alliance To Process Jatropha Seeds Into Sustainable Crude Oil

Statoil Now Blending Inbicon's Cellulosic Ethanol For Danish Drivers

Celanese Develops Advanced Technology For Production Of Industrial-Use Ethanol

THE STANS
NASA NIA To Sponsor Student Planetary Rover Challenge

Virtual Flight On A Robotic Arm

Studying Child-Mother Interactions To Design Robots With Social Skills

US Army Building Smarter Robots

THE STANS
Global Warming Reduces Available Wind Energy

South Korea plans offshore wind project

Buoyant Times Ahead For Offshore Resource Assessments

Suzlon eyes China's wind power market

THE STANS
China's SAIC agrees to buy one percent of GM: report

Indian minister criticises 'criminal' SUVs

China auto sales growth accelerates in October

China says its car boom is ruining air quality

THE STANS
Gas mining planned for underground Sydney

Iraq initials gas deals with Turkish, Kuwaiti, Korean firms

Miner to drill beneath Sydney for gas

Oil prices dive on stronger dollar, China rate rise rumours

THE STANS
Novel Ocean-Crust Mechanism Could Affect Global Carbon Budget

Strength Of Graphene Lies In Its Defects

Getting A Grip On CO2 Capture

EU sticks to 20-percent carbon cuts

THE STANS
Eon pursues new markets

US wants China to reciprocate green energy subsidies

GE Executive Outlines Opportunity For Transformation Of US Energy Future

EU wants $1.4 trillion for energy overhaul

THE STANS
Tropical Forest Diversity Increased During Ancient Global Warming Event

New Discoveries Concerning Pre-Columbian Settlements In The Amazon

Brazil mulls land auction to beat logging

Footage shows land clearing threatens Indonesia tigers: WWF


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement