Replies

Tuesday, 21 January, 2003, 12:19 GMT
Eyewitness: Iraqi training base in Hungary

Hungarian and US officials have given few details

Controversy is growing in Hungary over a US air base where several thousand Iraqi exiles are to be trained for a special role in the overthrow of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
The BBC's Nick Thorpe was one of the first journalists allowed onto the base at Taszar in southern Hungary.

The first wave of 1,500 Iraqis are due to arrive later this week at the base.

US military vehicles mingle with trucks bringing sand for the construction of the training facilities.

Local mayors and opposition deputies accuse the government of not telling the truth about the nature of the mission

Extra coils of barbed wire are being unrolled and new watchtowers constructed.

In the streets of the sleepy Hungarian villages around the air base, Hungarian police patrols have been stepped up.

Long lines of khaki-coloured tents have been erected for the 3,000 Iraqis who will be trained in the coming months.

They stand out vividly against the snow - this is the coldest month in Hungary and temperatures reach -15 C at night.

'Liaison' role

The main controversy surrounds the exact nature of the training the men will receive.

The Hungarian Defence Minister, Ferenc Juhasz, insists there will be no military training whatsoever.

The American base commander, Major General David Barno says that while some of those selected have a military background, many do not.

He declined for security reasons to give details of the kind of weapons they will be trained to use.

Iraqi opposition sources in London say that most of those selected are former officers in the Iraqi army.

Their role in a probable war is usually described as "civilian-military liaison".

Local mayors and opposition deputies have accused the Hungarian Government of not telling the truth about the nature of the mission.