Australian Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said here Tuesday his country will not consider sending more troops to Afghanistan until NATO adopted a winning strategy.
Speaking at a forum of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Fitzgibbon said he would continue to push for a new roadmap for success in Afghanistan and a greater commitment from NATO partners.
Speaking ahead of next month's NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania, Fitzgibbon said Australia was committed to Afghanistan in the long term but it was not unconditional, he said.
Australia, a non-NATO nation, has 1,000 troops serving in south-central Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.
Fitzgibbon has been highly critical of the absence of an effective strategy for long-term victory and of some NATO nations that restrict their troops from serving in the more dangerous parts of the country.
"We will continue to review our commitment on a regular basis but as a matter of principle we are committed in the long term," he added.
Source: Xinhua
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