Afghanistan Uncertainty

The foreign policy spokesperson for the ruling Christian Democratic Party's parliamentary group, Eckart von Klaeden, said the deployment of the Tornado reconnaissance planes in Afghanistan was covered by the current mandate, and no new approval was necessary.

"It is not a political decision; it should be decided at the military level," von Klaeden told the Friday edition of the daily Neue Presse in Hanover.

But the junior state secretary for defense, Thomas Kossendy -- who is also a conservative member -- was quoted by Friday's Nordwest-Zeitung as saying that "such decisions shouldn't be made without parliament."

NATO wants reinforcements in the south

NATO has asked Germany to send five or six Tornado reconnaissance planes for use across the whole of Afghanistan. This means the additional 250 German troops which would be sent with the planes could find themselves deployed in the south of the country where fighting against the Taliban is fiercest.

Under the existing mandate, which parliament renewed for one year in September, Germany's 2,700 soldiers are based in the relatively stable north of Afghanistan.

The mandate only allows for troop deployment to other parts of Afghanistan if it is an emergency situation and if "operations are limited as to their duration and scope."

Greens furious

The head of Germany's opposition Green party, Reinhard Bütikofer, accused the coalition government of conservatives and Social Democrats of withholding vital information about the deployment, and criticized Foreign Minister Frank Josef Jung.

"It is extremely annoying that Foreign Minister Jung always acts before giving parliament enough information," Bütikofer told ZDF television on Friday.

"If it is a grey area, then it is better to get a new parliamentary mandate because it is a parliamentary army," Bütikofer said.

"It shouldn't be possible for the government to go through the back door and bypass parliament in order to mobilize soldiers."

The head of the Green parliamentary group, Hans-Christian Ströbele went one step further. In an interview with the Frankfurter Rundschau, he said he would take the matter to Germany's Constitutional Court if the government sent the planes without a new mandate.

Foreign Minister Jung said on Thursday the government would make its final decision in January about whether to deploy the spy planes.