Canadian parties show signs of Afghan compromise

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Canada's minority government and themain opposition party signalled on Tuesday their desire to finda compromise position on the country's military mission inAfghanistan and avoid an election over what to do with the2,500 troops.

The ruling Conservatives have said that if Parliament doesnot extend the mission in the southern city of Kandahar,currently due to end in February 2009, the government wouldfall and Canada would head into an election.

But Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Tuesday that theopposition Liberals and the Conservatives now fundamentallyagree that the troops should stay until 2011, and both he andLiberal leader Stephane Dion talked about finding commonground.

"We are willing in good faith to explore...if there is acommon ground with our motion that may allow an agreement,"Dion said after presenting a series of proposals that wouldreplace a government motion on Afghanistan.

The Liberals would allow the troops to stay until July 2011but concentrate on training Afghan forces and providingsecurity for reconstruction and development. The idea is to nolonger engage in active combat seeking out the Taliban, thoughthis language was absent from the Liberal text.

Less than half an hour after Dion finished speaking, Harpertold reporters in Parliament he welcomed the Liberal ideas andsaid they were close to the government's.

"The government's objective is to seek common ground hereso we will look at these in great detail, with the expressintention of trying to find common ground," he said.

"But I think this is a positive development and one that Ithink is moving the debate in the right direction."

The Conservatives were elected with a minority governmentin January 2006, defeating the Liberals.

They say they would like to govern until the fixed electiondate of October 2009, but they have set a series of confidencevotes over the next several weeks -- over crime, Afghanistanand the budget -- which could force an election before then.

Polls show the most likely result of an election now wouldbe another fragile minority Conservative government, thoughsome polls have suggested the Liberals could win.

The Liberals and Conservatives still differ overAfghanistan, but the likelihood of an election over the issueappeared to have diminished on Tuesday.

Among the differences is that the Conservatives had notwanted to decree an end to Canada's military engagement in2011, while the Liberals want 2011 to be a firm end date toprevent a "never-ending" war.

The Conservatives and Liberals agree that the Canadiansshould only stay if the NATO alliance sends more troops toKandahar and if Canada is able to secure medium-lifthelicopters as well as unmanned aerial vehicles.

(Editing by Peter Galloway)