Clinton is urging the US government to send more troops to Afghanistan

VICTORIA - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton is
urging Canada to stay the course on Afghanistan and
continue providing aid and military muscle to defeat
the Taliban.

Mr. Clinton, sporting a poppy in his lapel, was the
main draw at a noon-hour event that packed the B.C.
capital's largest arena with people willing to pay up
to $175 for the privilege.

The focus of his speech was on the power ordinary
citizens have to affect the public good, both locally
and globally. But he also took time to thank Canada
for its efforts to bring aid and peace to Afghanistan.

"I promised myself that as long as the situation in
Afghanistan persists, I would never come to Canada
without thanking you for your participation through
NATO in the effort to save a genuine moderate,
pro-western democracy," he said. "I am grateful."

Canada is "doing a good thing," Mr. Clinton said.

"Because we have to pursue both these things together:
a security policy and a policy to create more partners
and fewer terrorists."

In an half-hour question and answer session with B.C.
Premier Gordon Campbell after the speech, the two-term
Democratic president urged the deployment of more
troops.

"We have under-forced the mission there," he said. "We
have 20,000 American troops there, 20,000 NATO troops
there, and there are 140,000 troops in Iraq."

He is urging the U.S. government to free up more
troops to go into Afghanistan to stem the Taliban and
send a message to NATO allies that it's a fight worth
waging.

"We can't expect NATO to send more unless we (the
United States) send more first."
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