Links
Canada adamant about Afghanistan pullout
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday rebuffed an American suggestion that he keep some of his country's troops in Afghanistan after a scheduled pullout next year, reasserting that only civilians would continue in the mission.
Harper reiterated his stand during a 20-minute meeting in Ottawa with visiting Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Harper made it clear that "Canada will remain engaged, but this is going to be a civilian-based mission," said Dimitri Soudas, his press secretary.
The war in Afghanistan was also on the agenda at a White House meeting between President Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Administration officials said Obama did not press Sarkozy to add troops to the nearly 4,000 France now has there. But Sarkozy offered backing for the U.S. leader, saying, "We support President Obama's strategy."