Faulkner attends Afghanistan meetings

Newly appointed Defence Minister John Faulkner is on his way to Europe to attend
meetings about operations in Afghanistan.
Senator Faulkner will meet with counterparts contributing to NATO-led operations in
southern Afghanistan at the Regional Command (South) Ministers' Meeting in the
Netherlands.
He will then travel to Brussels in Belgium where he will take part in another NATO
meeting on Afghanistan.
"I look forward to meeting my counterpart defence ministers for the first time and
to have an opportunity for discussions with them regarding our shared commitment to
Afghanistan," he said.
Senator Faulkner took over the defence portfolio after Joel Fitzgibbon's resignation
last week.