Greece to help in NATO equipment transport for Iraq 25 May 2005 13:15:22 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Karolos Grohmann
ATHENS, May 25 (Reuters) - NATO member Greece on Wednesday increased its involvement in the Iraq war saying it had agreed with the alliance to help transport equipment bound for Iraq on commercial cargo ships.
A strong opponent of the war, Greece has refused to send troops to Iraq, and as a NATO member has so far only agreed to train Iraqi officers in third countries.
"This (agreement) concerns the transport of equipment bound for Iraq," Foreign Ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos told reporters during a briefing.
He did not say whether the Greek cargo vessels would dock and unload at Iraqi ports or whether they would berth at some other port in the Middle East.
"This is equipment bound for Iraq," he said after being pressed to say where the ship or ships would dock.
Koumoutsakos said the cargo of the ships would only contain "training equipment".
NATO's current involvement in Iraq includes alliance officers helping train Iraqi military personnel inside the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad and acting as a clearing house for weapons offers to the Iraqi government.
Diplomats in Greece said the agreement was the result of last week's meeting in Washington between U.S. President George W. Bush and Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanalis.
"In a way the United States can now add another country to the list of those that are supporting their efforts in Iraq in some way ... without sending troops," a Greek diplomat said.
The Merchant Marine Ministry confirmed the deal but said the ministry would only be responsible for awarding the contract.
"Under the agreement we would be asked by our defence ministry to find one, two or more cargo ships to transport equipment," a ministry spokesman told Reuters.
"So we would then issue a tender for such a project which would then be awarded to one of those bidding for the contract. That is our only involvement in this."
Defence ministry officials could not be reached for a comment.
A U.S. Marine shakes hands with an Afghan boy during a pause in operations in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, on May 23, 2005. Marines of the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, are conducting operations in concert with Afghanistan Army soldiers in the region. DoD photo by Spc. Harold Fields, U.S. Army. (Released)
An Iraqi soldier with the 3rd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army, and U.S. Army Maj. Davis of the 18th Airborne Corps Military Transition Team review a map of the area during operations in Wasit Province, Iraq, on May 20, 2005. DoD photo by Sgt. Arthur Hamilton, U.S. Army. (Released)