Australia’s futile request

Aus, with 1/20th of Europe’s population is carrying its’ burden in Afghanistan. Likewise with Canada - again. Downer chides their fickleness, and the European willingness to abandon Afghans that they otherwise prefer to wring their hands over.

Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said it would also be helpful if European NATO nations based in Afghanistan's north changed their engagement rules from purely defensive operations so they could help fight the Taliban in the south.

"I think the real challenge is that a larger number of countries in Afghanistan need to abandon the sort of caveats there are on their involvement and be prepared to support the countries that are particularly shouldering the burden in the south of the country," Downer said.

Downer said Canada, which provides the backbone of the NATO operation in Kandahar and has lost more than 30 troops, had borne the brunt of operations in Afghanistan's south.

"We'd like to feel that some of the other countries in the north of Afghanistan would be prepared to come in and provide backup support when it was needed in the south," Downer told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio from Helsinki.

"I think we need a bigger team effort in Afghanistan," Downer said in comments echoed by Prime Minister John Howard.

Another sign of EU-nobility - reserving their huffiness for those who won’t give it back, and never risking anything meaningful.

Canada wants its allies to step up their help in curtailing the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, this country's ambassador to the war-torn nation said Monday.

"We're taking on our burden and a little bit more, and we're very proud of that," David Sproule said after giving a speech at Memorial University in St. John's.

"But we're anxious that the burden be shared amongst all contributing countries in NATO and those that have the wherewithal to do so."

That’s a polite way of asking our barbaric friends to get off of their duffs and put their money where their mouth is. So while the Dutch are set to take command, their domestic press forgets the Afghan public and continues to ask if they should even bother pursuing the Taliban at all.the fuse is lit!