July 9 (Bloomberg) -- Germany will keep its peacekeeping troops in Afghanistan beyond 2004, extending their mission by at least one year, Defense Minister Peter Struck said.

Germany contributes about 2,400 of the 4,600 members of the International Security Assistance Force who keep order in the Afghan capital, Kabul. Germany's parliament has approved deploying troops for Afghan peacekeeping until December 2003.

``We will extend our mandate by at least one year,'' Struck said in an interview with the daily Berliner Zeitung. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's coalition government will vote in favor of the plan in September, he added.

Struck dismissed as ``unrealistic'' calls from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to increase the ISAF strength to about 20,000 and extend its authority to the entire country.

Germany and the Netherlands command the Kabul-based ISAF, drawn from 29 nations, until next month. Under their mandate, international peacekeepers are to assist the Afghan government in restoring security after the ousting of the Taliban regime in December 2001.

(Berliner Zeitung 7-9, p.1)

For the paper's Web site, see {www.berliner-zeitung.de}

Last Updated: July 9, 2003 04:16 EDT