Minister admits Hungary fails to meet NATO commitments
It is certain that Hungary will not be able to fully comply with the commitments it made to NATO, Defence Minister Imre Szekeres told Magyar Hírlap on Tuesday before flying off to Afghanistan.
He said 1.33% of GDP, less than the NATO minimum, will be allocated to the armed forces this year, and even less next year and in 2008. He said NATO leaders have been informed of this and are taking a flexible approach to the matter.
Szekeres, accompanied by members of the defence committee, is to meet NATO leaders and Afghan politicians in Kabul today. On Thursday he will formally take over the running of operations from the Netherlands in central Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan, 350km from Kabul.
The above story is just one of more than two dozen published today by Hungary Around the Clock, the most comprehensive source of daily English-language news about Hungary. For a free trial of HATC, click here. Hungarian news sources include Népszabadság; Magyar Hírlap; Világgazdaság; Napi Gazdaság; Magyar Nemzet; Népszava; Kossuth Rádió news and Hungarian television's nightly news broadcast.
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