Romania To Send Additional 140-150 Troops To Afghanistan In Upcoming Months

The Romanian president held a press conference together with NATO secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer after talks held at the presidential palace.

"The supplementing of troops by 140-150 in Afghanistan is already approved, it was stipulated in the planned distribution of Romanian troops in operation theaters ever since the beginning of the year and it has been approved by Parliament,” Basescu said.

He added, referring to NATO operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan, that Romania will keep troops in both operation theaters until missions are accomplished.

In his turn, Scheffer expressed his condolences for the 11 Romanian soldiers “who paid the highest price in serving the alliance” in Afghanistan.

Scheffer ends his term as NATO secretary general and will be replaced by the former prime minister of Denmark, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.