U.S. officially asks Hungary to boost military presence in combating IS

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The United States has officially asked Hungary to increase its participation in the international effort to combat the so-called Islamic State (IS), Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on television channel TV2’s Mokka program.

Szijjarto said that in Hungary’s view IS was a direct threat to European security, having grossly assaulted the order of values Hungary respects.

Szijjarto said Hungary’s enhanced role would involve 100-150 soldiers acting as troop trainers, but the parliament would have to make the decision on whether to send them. Speaking on television channel M1 in another program, called This Morning, he explained that the issue required a two-thirds majority vote of parliament.

Szijjarto said he had called together a working group of officials from the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, Interior Ministry, Anti-Terrorism Bureau, and Information Bureau to discuss the issue on Monday. Following that he had invited members of every single party with a seat in parliament to meet on Tuesday to decide whether the country could in fact increase its military participation in the international coalition combating IS.

Szijjarto explained that plans were in the offing to set up several training facilities in northern Iraq to help train the local fighting force, and the Hungarians would serve as trainers. The job was much the same as the one they had performed in Afghanistan, he said.

The ruling Fidesz Party lost the two-thirds majority it had had in Parliament for five years in a by-election in February, and for the first time since it took power in 2010, it needs at least one opposition party’s cooperation. /End/