US denies 'improper' call for Austrian support

VIENNA — US Ambassador William Eacho hit back Monday at comments by Austria's defence minister that Washington had exerted "improper" pressure on Vienna to commit more troops to Afghanistan.

"It is the duty of any ambassador to defend the interests and policies of his or her country... This is in no way 'improper'," Eacho said in a letter to the Austrian daily Der Standard, published in German.

"Neither does this term apply to my endorsement of support for Afghanistan -- after all, this is a mission that is based on a UN mandate and which at least 43 nations... are taking part in," the US ambassador to Vienna added.

In an interview with Der Standard published on Friday, Austrian Defence Minister Norbert Darabos complained that Eacho had repeatedly and publicly urged Austria on to commit more troops to Afghanistan.

"The pressure from the Americans is relatively strong. Sometimes it is a little improper.

"He (Eacho) should accept that Austria is a sovereign state. We will not give in to this pressure," Darabos added.

Eacho, in Monday's letter, insisted that Austria need not contribute a military force but could also provide support in areas such as "development, governance, and rule of law."

But Darabos said Austria preferred to concentrate on its military commitments in the Balkans and the Golan Heights.

Vienna dispatched 60 men in 2002 to the NATO-led International Security Force in Afghanistan (ISAF), of whom only three remain, all stationed in Kabul.