Talabani: War-torn Iraq can learn from Poland

Monsters and Critics.com ^ | Apr 6, 2006

[lizol]

Talabani: War-torn Iraq can learn from Poland

Apr 6, 2006, 12:17 GMT

Warsaw/Baghdad - Poland's conservative President Lech Kaczynski began a surprise visit to Iraq Thursday in talks with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, whom he officially invited to visit Poland this fall, according to Polish media reports.

'Poland is a great country with a thousand years of history, which survived many wars and destruction,' Talabani said, as quoted by the Polish PAP news agency.

'Today we are in a similar moment and we can learn a lot from Poland,' said the Iraqi leader following the 40-minute meeting with Kaczynski.

'Our nation also rebuilt democracy after a longer break and it is proof that it is possible although it is certainly difficult,' Kaczynski said.

Talks between the two heads of state covered bilateral political, military, economic and trade matters.

Talabani also thanked European Union newcomer Poland for its military presence in Iraq as the head of a multi-national force in its south-central region.

President Kaczynski has suggested Polish troops could leave Iraq in 2007 or even late this year.

But Polish media have speculated whether any possible prolonged troop deployment could be tied to Polish fuel companies receiving direct access to Iraqi oil fields.

Poland was among the most ardent and outspoken European supporters of the US-led 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq. The move caused considerable tension with Germany and France, which opposed the war.

After the war, Poland was granted command of a multinational military stabilisation force in south-central Iraq.

Approving the extension of the Polish mission in Iraq to the end of this year was among Kaczynski's first acts as president after taking office in late December 2005.

[Mr. Jeeves]

Poland's Lesson #1 for Iraq: "Make sure all the Nazis are dead and under no circumstances allow them places in the new government." ;)

[jmc1969]

If you are talking about the ex-Baathists our mistake in the first place was firing them all from their administrative jobs (and the military) and basically left half a million angry unemployed Sunnis with no hope for employment in the new Iraq. And, in comes Zarqawi, Syria, and Saddam's generals with billions of dollars telling these people that they can get 500$ just to place a bomb by the side of the road.

We are now begging the Iraqi government to let us bring these same people in to the military and the government.

There is an old saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Patton understood that quite well in how he dealt with post WW2 Germany.