Posted on 01/08/2005 7:14:46 AM PST by jb6
WARSAW - Poland’s new foreign minister said on Thursday Warsaw would stick to plans to withdraw troops from Iraq by the end of the year.
But Adam Rotfeld said if Iraqis and the international community saw a need for troops to remain longer to help transform the country, Poland’s next government may agree.
“Our plan was already sketched out by several politicians ... who announced a withdrawal of our troops by the end of this year,” Rotfeld told private radio Zet.
“Our military engagement in its present form will end, but if the international community, under the auspices of the United Nations, the European Union or NATO, decides that some troops should remain to facilitate the transformation then I cannot rule out that Poland will oblige.”
EU and NATO military alliance member Poland has about 2,400 troops in Iraq, where it runs a multi-national division.
Rotfeld and his leftist cabinet is expected to lose power in parliamentary elections set for June. The resurgent centre-right has also backed Poland’s engagement in Iraq.
Warsaw was a strong supporter of Washington’s campaign to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, swimming against the tide of anti-war EU heavyweights France and Germany.
Rotfeld, a veteran diplomat appointed foreign minister on Wednesday, said pushing back Iraq’s elections from Jan. 30 would only spur the violence which has already been on the rise as insurgents seek to derail the polls.
“We have to choose a point which is the start of a new road ... (and) moving elections would only deepen the crisis. All of Iraq would be on fire,” he said.
Of course, we all hope that Iraq gets a government and can start to maintain its own security so that we can start a bit of a draw down ourselves....
Poland and the rest of the countries there with us deserve props for being there....
Yes.
And the troops that return home from Iraq will be sharper and more up-to-date, than the troops that didn't go.
yep pretty much.
Experienced and trained always trumps trained.....
Poland's been a rock, and the olde media parasites still want us to believe they're ducking out on us.
I don't know what to think of Iraqies. I firmly believe that muslim arabs are incapable of keeping an elected government, past the first election. The only real republic of the 22 Arab nations was Lebanon when it was 51% Christian. Not anymore.
Oh I dont know about that. Give these people a chance. No one else has for the past 30 years.....
Besides, the Iraqis as a whole are quite a bit more secular than most other Arab countries.
What about Turkey?
We'll see soon in Iraq but I think the Shietes are just playing along on till they are "officially" the rulers and then hell breaks loose. The Kurds will just go their own way.
the current administration there both militarily and Civilian will not allow the Shi'ites to do that....
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