Germany redefines nature of Afghanistan mission (Extra)

Feb 10, 2010, 10:04 GMT

Berlin - German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle told parliament on Wednesday that the military deployment to Afghanistan has been legally redefined as an 'armed conflict.'

'Whether we like it or not, this is the case,' Westerwelle told the Bundestag, or parliament.

To date, Germany's involvement in Afghanistan, which is deeply unpopular amongst the public, has been termed a 'robust stabilization mission.'

Westerwelle explained that the legal definition of the NATO-led ISAF deployment carried consequences for the soldiers' capacity to act, as well as their criminal liability.

The foreign minister was seeking parliamentary approval for a new Afghanistan strategy which would increase German troop deployment to 5,350, with a stronger focus on training local security staff.

Defence minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg broke a taboo last year by talking of 'war-like conditions' in Afghanistan, although he stressed at the time that this was a colloquial term, not a legal definition of the situation.