Prime Minister Stephen Harper telephoned French President Nicolas Sarkozy this morning to talk about NATO and Afghanistan. The prime minister’s communications director Sandra Buckler just e-mailed reporters an account of that conversation:
This morning, Prime Minister Harper spoke to President Sarkozy. The conversation began with the Prime Minister thanking President Sarkozy for the assistance France has provided to Canadians seeking to leave Chad in the wake of the violence there. Then, the Prime Minister reviewed with the President the creation of the Manley Panel and the contents of its report, including the recommendation that Canada remain in Afghanistan, in Kandahar, but only if we can secure additional troops from NATO allies and additional equipment for the Canadian Forces. The Prime Minister and President noted that their respective Defence Ministers will be meeting this week in Vilnius at the NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting and agreed to stay in touch themselves during the coming weeks.