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Supreme National Defence Council meeting

Meeting of the Supreme Council for National Defence

The Supreme Council for National Defence met, in an ordinary session, under the chairmanship of the President of the Republic.

At the end of the meeting, which was held in the Palace of Belém, a communiqué was read by the Secretary of the Council, General João Goulão de Melo.

Following is the text of the communiqué:

"The Council analysed the development of the situation in the Theatres of Operations where contingents of the Armed Forces are deployed in external peace missions.

The Council was advised of the efforts which are being developed to improve the general security conditions in Afghanistan, having specifically in mind the approaching electoral period. In this purport, the Council held a favourable opinion regarding the Government’s proposal for the deployment, over a three month period, of an Air Force Detachment made up of a C130 aircraft and approximately 40 military personnel.

In the framework of NATO’s new strategy for Afghanistan, the Council pronounced itself in favour of an enlargement of the national contribution, in 2010, with a force of company strength, similar to that which operated in the same Theatre between August 2005 and July 2008."