Brussels, 11/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - The force generation conference for the EU's military operation in Chad and the Central African Republic (EUFOR Chad/CAR) on Friday 11 January enabled sufficient resources to be drummed up to complete the planning stage of the operation. The operation commander, General Patrick Nash of Ireland, can now end the force generation process and recommend that the operation be launched. The plan of operation (OPLAN) is due to be finalised on Monday 14 January, and the first troops will be deployed in February 2008. General Nash hailed big contributions from member states, particularly France. Poland and Italy have also confirmed that they will be providing further resources (two helicopters from Poland and a field hospital from Italy). The main contributors to EUFOR are France (2000 troops and a dozen helicopters, an increase on the 1500 troops initially planned), Ireland (400 troops) and Poland (400 troops and two helicopters), Sweden (200 troops), Austria (160 troops), Romania (120 troops), Belgium (100 troops), Finland (60 troops), Italy (a field hospital), Portugal and Greece (each providing a Hercules C-130-type aircraft) and Spain (two CASA C-295 transport aircraft). These resources may be supplemented by contributions from other countries, like Russia and Ukraine. (A.By)