CZECH REPUBLIC TO SEND ADDITIONAL 70 TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN

CTK news agency, Prague
26 Aug 07

Prague, 26 August: The number of Czech troops in Afghanistan will
rise by about 70 due to the planned Czech leadership of the Provincial
Reconstruction Team (PRT) in the Afghan province of Loghar, Chief of
Staff Vlastimil Picek told Czech Television today.

At present, the Czech army has 225 soldiers in Afghanistan, Picek said.

Czechs operate in the field hospital in Kabul and along with Germans
and Danes, they work in the reconstruction team in the northern
province of Badakhshan.

Special military police forces are in the province Hilmand.

The deployment of the PRT to Loghar is to cost 650 million crowns. It
is yet to be approved by the parliament.

Picek said the PRT in Logar was to be made up of 170 soldiers and
30 civilian experts, to be sent by Foreign, Trade and Industry,
and Transport ministries.

"The situation in Loghar is naturally more complicated than in the
northern province. We rely on efficient help from the US army,"
Picek said.

Czechs can be helped by Americans in logistics, Picek said.

Slovaks and Armenians are interested in the cooperation with the PRT
in Loghar, he added.

"We are of the view that Slovakia could help us with medical
personnel. As far as Armenians are concerned, their help involves
solely translators," Picek said.

Social Democrat (CSSD) leader Jiri Paroubek said the risk for Czech
troops would be crucial for the Social Democrats when the issue would
be debated in the parliament.

It was vital to protect the lives and health of the Czech troops as
much as possible, Paroubek said.