The government decided on Thursday that the Slovenian army would send a single soldier to take part in the EU-led mission in Chad and the Central African Republic tasked with the protection of refugees from Darfur. Separately, the government decided to donate 60 mortars and ammunition worth around EUR 800,000 to the Afghan army.
The decision to send the commissioned officer to Chad comes after Defence Minister Karl Erjavec announced this week in Brussels that Slovenia would take part in the mission in Chad. He also promised additional involvement in Africa during Slovenia's presidency in the first half of 2008, with 50 soldiers on standby.
EU's mission in Chad and the Central African Republic is a support operation to the UN presence there in a bid to ensure safety for soldiers and civilians. The mission consists of 3,000 troops, roughly half of which were contributed by France.
Separately, Slovenia's contribution to Afghanistan is a result of the country's request for arms and equipment urgently need before February 2008, says the press release. The government office added that the Slovenian army cannot use the arms because of NATO standards.
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