VILNIUS (Reuters) - Canada sent senior officials to Paris on Friday to sound out France on a possible offer of support for 2,500 Canadian troops in south Afghanistan and said it had got its message across to allies on the need for help.
In what would be a major setback for the NATO peacekeepingmission, Canada has said it will pull its soldiers from thesouthern Afghan city of Kandahar on schedule next Februaryunless other NATO nations provide an extra 1,000 troops there.
"We knocked on a lot of doors. Some of them are open andFrance is one of those countries ... We are going to have somediscussions about logistically how we can make it happen,"Canadian Defence Minister Peter MacKay told reporters.
A Canadian Defence Ministry spokesman earlier confirmed adelegation was travelling to France, but declined to comment ona Canadian television report they were going to negotiate thetransfer of 700 French troops to the south.
MacKay, speaking on the last day of a two-day NATO defenceministers meeting, said it was too early to say exactly whatthe French help would consist of, but that France had thecapability to meet Canada's requirements.
"We came here with a clear message," MacKay added of histalks in Vilnius.
"I feel we delivered that message. There is no confusionwhat the requirements are," he said, pointing to a need formore troops and equipment. "We achieved some success."
French Defence Minister Herve Morin told reporters at theNATO meeting on Thursday that Paris was willing to help Canada,but had taken no decision on deploying troops or equipment.France has some 1,500 troops, based mostly in the capitalKabul.
Morin said on Thursday France was studying deploymentoptions as part of a wider reorganisation of the 43,000-strongNATO-led Afghan peace force which he expected to be discussedat an April 2-4 alliance summit in Bucharest.
Canada's minority government plans a parliamentary vote ofconfidence in late March on prolonging its military mission inAfghanistan, officials said earlier this week.
(Reporting by Patrick Lannin, Illona Wiessenbach and MarkJohn; Editing by Catherine Evans)
