The number of Spanish soldiers serving with NATO forces in Afghanistan would be increased during the election period to 1,040 from the current 475, before being scaled back to 540 at the end of the year, Defence Minister Jose Bono told a joint parliamentary committee on foreign affairs and defence.

But he said Spain, like France, was firmly opposed to the use of the recently-created NATO Response Force (NRF) in Afghanistan, as requested by Britain and the United States. French President Jacques Chirac said early this week the NRF was not designed for use in such operations.

The Afghan presidential and parliamentary elections were initially scheduled for June but were delayed until September because of logistical and security problems and risk being postponed again. The Taliban have vowed to disrupt the polls and have been blamed for recent attacks on election officials.

Bono said Madrid planned to send to Afghanistan an infantry battalion, a field hospital, four helicopters, two Hercules transport planes and a support and protection unit, at a cost of around 54 million euros (66 million dollars).

Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told the parliamentary committee it was "impossible to ignore the threat posed by Al-Qaeda" and said there was "no doubt as to the legitimacy of international intervention in Afghanistan".

"Afghanistan needs greater commitment from the international community, (particularly to create) new structures of government, new security forces and revive its economy," he said.

On Haiti, Bono said Madrid had offered to provide 110 civil guards to the United Nations stabilisation for the Caribbean country, if the Brazilian command of the force afforded the Spaniards "tactical and operational autonomy".

The UN force in Haiti (MINUSTHA) is expected eventually to total 6,700 soldiers, 1,622 police officers and 900 civil servants. The Brazilian contingent of 1,200 soldiers is already in place.

WAR.WIRE