Austrian Defense Minister Norbert Darabos has declared that Austria would not send more troops to Afghanistan despite the pressure from the United States and Britain, which believed that Austria should get more involved in the central Asian country.
In an interview with Austrian newspaper "Der Standard," which would be published on Friday, the defense minister said he had rejected the demand of
U.S. Ambassador to Austria William Eacho for more support to the U.S. efforts in Afghanistan.
"America's pressure on Austria is relatively intense, sometimes it is a little bit improper," Darabos said.
However, he stressed: "Austria is a sovereign country. We will not give in to the pressure."
"The Afghanistan conflict would not be solved by the military alone," said the minister, adding that "the increase in troops is not a panacea."