Germany, France Criticize U.S. Plan to Merge Peacekeepers, Combat Troops. NATO defense ministers discussed a U.S.-backed proposal on Wednesday to merge Afghan peacekeeping and anti-terrorism operations under a joint command, despite criticism of the plan by Germany and France. Though no decision was announced during an informal conference at this ski resort north of the capital, Bucharest, officials said most members of NATO would accept combining the 20,000 peacekeepers and 9,000 combat troops under a NATO flag. U.S. officials, led at the conference by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, appeared optimistic that a joint mission could be underway in coming months. But German and French officials were adamantly against it. German Defense Minister Peter Struck told reporters that German troops would not participate in combat operations in Afghanistan. Full Story
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