Defence Committee Debates Afghanistan, Iraq and Clearing Debt
The parliamentary Defence Committee discussed on Thursday reports on the activities of Slovenian soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the possibility for Slovenia to get a multi-function vessel and anti-aircraft batteries in exchange for part of Russia's clearing debt.
According to Defence Minister Karl Erjavec, talks on Russia repaying US$ 40m of its US$ 130m debt in weapons have not yet been launched, however, Russia has not expressed adversity to Slovenia's interest in acquiring a vessel as part of the settlement.
The ship would be used for the armed forces' diving unit and for rescue missions, Erjavec explained.
He also told committee members that the cabinet agreed to increase the Slovenian contingent in the NATO-led ISAF mission in Afghanistan by 12 soldiers in August. This means that a total of 65 Slovenian soldiers are to be deployed near Herat in the west of Afghanistan.
The number of Slovenian military instructors in Iraq will be brought down to two, from the four who travelled to Baghdad in February. The reduction comes after two posts, previously held by Slovenian instructors, have been taken over by Iraqis.
The committee also endorsed a report on the implementation of the development plan for the Slovenian Armed Forces in 2006.
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