Asia

Home page

Asia

Spanish PM makes surprise visit to troops in Afghanistan

07 November 2010 03:36 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero made a surprise visit Saturday to his country’ s troops in Afghanistan, APA reports quoting Xinhua News Agency.

On his second visit to Afghanistan in six years as the head of the Government, Zapatero said that his country would not be keeping troops in the central Asian country indefinitely, but added that they would not be withdrawing in the near future.

"We are not here to stay, but we need to maintain a firm resolution until the Afghans are able to guarantee their own security," he told the troops in the base of Qala i-now, in the West of the country.

Zapatero travelled in the company of Foreign Minister, Trinidad Jimenez and Defense Minister, Carne Chacon.

"The task is going to be difficult, tough and risky, but a job lasts for the time it needs to be completed," he was quoted as saying by Spanish newspaper El Pais.

Zapatero will use his time in Afghanistan to meet Afghan President Hamid Karazi and the commander of NATO troops, David Petraeus.

Spain currently has 1,500 troops in Afghanistan and has suffered 92 mortalities since they arrived in the country in 2002.