The plan to send another 200 troops to Afghanistan to enlarge Hungary’s mission and the ways of financing it generated a dispute between the governing Fidesz party and the former ruling Socialists on Monday.
Mihaly Varga, head of the budgetary fact-finding committee commissioned by Hungary’s new government, accused former prime minister Gordon Bajnai that, during an official visit to Washington late last year, he had offered additional troops to serve in Afghanistan, but the costs of the mission had not been entered in the 2010 budget and not even Defence Ministry officials had been consulted on the plan.
Varga told commercial news channel HirTV on Sunday evening that the previous government had failed to enter 60 “hidden spending items” in the budget.
In a Monday statement the Socialists rejected the charges, saying that Bajnai did consult on the plan with the military command and even some defence experts of the current governing parties. Bajnai presented a plan approved by the defence minister during his visit to the United States, they said.
In January 2010, the government regrouped 5.2 billion forints as additional funding for the mission, the Socialists said.
Defence Minister Csaba Hende said on Monday that sending another 200 soldiers to Afghanistan, as pledged by the Socialist government, would cost the country 13 billion forints (EUR 45.6m).
Hungary will meet its commitments to NATO, even if the previous cabinet had not ensured financing for the enlargement, Hende said, adding that the necessary funds will be included in the country’s 2011 budget.
Istvan Simicsko, State Secretary of Defence, accused Bajnai of irresponsibility, saying that neither the technical, nor the personnel, nor the financial conditions for the upgrade had been in place.
He said the government would regroup some items in the defence budget to fulfil the pledge.
it is completely crazy that a country like Hungary with so many finacial problems send troops to Afghanistan!! It will cost our country 13 billion forints (EUR 45.6m)!!!!!!!
Bsides that we don’t have any business there in the first place….
If Hungary do not have the money to send another 200 troops to Afghanistan, then maybe Hungary do not have the money to have any defense at all?
As the Danish MP Mogens Glistrup once propose about the Danish defense:
* Replace it with a phone answering machine that says in Russian – “We surrender!”?
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And Hungary, like the rest of Europe has an obligation in Afghanistan
(Makes me to a Right-Winger?)
There is absolutely no reason for a single Hungarian soldier to be in Afghanistan. Hungarian troops fighting Muslims could bring reprisals against targets in Hungary.
If US want these soldiers and the soldiers want to go there, they should pay for it. They are not fighting for Hungarian cause. They are fighting for US/Israeli cause. Send Israeli troops there to let them fight the Arab extremists their Zionazi terrorism created.
They are fighting for US/Israeli cause
LHVJ at September 8, 2010 10:47 AM
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Now ‘bob’ will call you a ‘Left-Winger’