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Berlusconi vows to stay 'to the very end' with US in Iraq, bashes opposition Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi strongly defended Italy's military presence in Iraq, slamming the opposition for demanding a withdrawal from the US-led coalition and accusing them of serving the interests of the "enemies of democracy". "Italy will remain in Iraq and remain faithful to its military objectives for peace as long as the armed gangs are not defeated", he told parliament. "Italy considers that it is its duty and its honor to remain to the very end at the side of those who defend the United Nations...

Intriguing but unconfirmed rumours have reached Foreign Report that may have far-reaching consequences for the Coalition operation in Iraq, as well as Britain's domestic politics. According to the report, secret discussions may be under way concerning the Polish-commanded south-central multinational military division. There has been continuous speculation that the Poles, one of the biggest contingents in the Coalition force, will withdraw. While for the moment they are saying they will not follow the Spanish example, they have called for a "progressive reduction" of their 2,400 troops, as casualties rise (three dead, as well as their top war correspondent) and public...

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - The Netherlands is reviewing participation in the U.S.-led stabilization force in Iraq (news - web sites) after a Dutch soldier was killed in a grenade attack, the prime minister said Tuesday. Jan Peter Balkenende said the death of the soldier Monday, the first casualty among the 1,300-strong Dutch contingent in southern Iraq, was not by itself a reason to leave the country. "Reconstruction will go on, with all the sorrow of today. The forces of terrorism will not win," Balkenende said, speaking on national television. But the Dutch will weigh their future deployment based on an expanded...

ROME, May 11 (Reuters) - Opposition leaders pressed Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday to withdraw Italian troops from Iraq following a prisoner abuse scandal that has rocked the U.S. and British governments. Berlusconi is due to meet U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington next week and centre-left opponents said he should use the visit to demand publicly the resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "Our troops shouldn't stay a week more if the prime minister does not get Bush to sack Rumsfeld," said Francesco Rutelli, a close ally of Berlusconi's long-standing rival, European Commission President Romano Prodi....

LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Poland and Britain renewed their commitment to keeping troops in Iraq on Thursday and condemned the abuse of prisoners by soldiers in the U.S-led coalition. "An alliance is an alliance, we have obligations and we will carry them out," Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski told reporters after meeting Prime Minister Tony Blair during a state visit. He said Poland, which currently has 2,400 soldiers in Iraq, was prepared to send a third contingent of troops and aimed to withdraw only after stability was returned to Iraq. Britain is expected to confirm next week that it will...

LONDON (AP) - Britain is considering sending more troops to Iraq to fill the gap created by Spain's withdrawal of its 1,300 soldiers, an official in Prime Minister Tony Blair's government said Saturday. But Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram told British Broadcasting Corp. radio that no decision had been taken and no formal request has been made. "That is something which clearly has to be considered given the fact that there is now a changed situation on the ground because of the withdrawal of the Spanish forces," Ingram said when asked if Britain would send more soldiers to Iraq. "We...

KIEV, April 28 (Reuters) - Ukraine lost its fifth soldier in Iraq on Wednesday, but vowed its peacekeepers would not pull out. The soldier was killed when his patrol came under attack from grenades and high-calibre machine guns about 60 km (40 miles) south of Kut, Ukraine's Defence Ministry said. Two other Ukrainians were wounded. The patrol withdrew with support from two U.S. helicopters. Two Ukrainians have died in previous attacks and three in accidents. President Leonid Kuchma offered his condolences to the family of the dead soldier, but said Ukraine's approximately 1,600 peacekeepers would stay in Iraq. "Our troops...

Spanish troops wave while driving towards the Kuwaiti frontier in a convoy of 33 vehicles from their bases in the Najaf and Diwaniya area of Iraq (news - web sites) April 27, 2004. Reversing the Iraq policy of his pro-U.S. predecessor Jose Maria Aznar, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's first decision after taking office was to announce he was pulling Spanish troops from Iraq as soon as possible.

WARSAW, Poland - Poland's likely next prime minister said Tuesday that domestic pressure is building to set a timetable for an eventual pullout of its soldiers from Iraq, but he plans no imminent retreat. Marek Belka, who is expected to take over Sunday from Prime Minister Leszek Miller, said his remark reflects the mood among government and opposition parties whose backing he has been seeking to be confirmed as the new leader. "Nobody is talking about bailing out of Iraq," said Belka, who until last month directed economic policy in Iraq under the U.S.-led coalition authority. "But everybody talks about...

The Norwegian military plans to have about ten Norwegian officers in Iraq after the engineer soldiers return home July 1. Foto: Kjetil Eide (Forsvaret)TV 2 Nettavisen got the statement confirmed by several sources. In addition to the about 150 Norwegian engineer soldiers who are stationed outside Basra, Norway has a total of ten staff officers stationed with the British and the Polish forces. «We have gotten indications from the Ministry of Defense that they are considered to continue for the rest of the year,» said Thom Knustad, press officer at Fellesoprativt headquarters, to TV 2 Nettavisen. Powell From a military...

WARSAW, Poland - Poland's likely next prime minister said Tuesday that domestic pressure is building to set a timetable for an eventual pullout of its soldiers from Iraq, but he plans no imminent retreat. Marek Belka, who is expected to take over Sunday from Prime Minister Leszek Miller, said his remark reflects the mood among government and opposition parties whose backing he has been seeking to be confirmed as the new leader. "Nobody is talking about bailing out of Iraq," said Belka, who until last month directed economic policy in Iraq under the U.S.-led coalition authority. "But everybody talks about...

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) — Amid tight security, Prime Minister John Howard paid a surprise visit Sunday to Australian troops in Iraq. "The trip to Iraq is in recognition of the great sacrifice and contribution Australian personnel are making there in challenging conditions," Howard's office said in a statement. "They are following in the footsteps of countless other Australians who have served the nation in many parts of the globe." Howard's visit was for a dawn ceremony at Baghdad International Airport to mark Anzac Day, Australia's main veterans' commemoration. It was Howard's trip to Iraq since he sent 2,000 troops to...

US losing face as Poles waver From agency correspondents in Washington and Baghdad April 23, 2004 PENTAGON chiefs are drawing up emergency plans for more troops and money in Iraq as the US-led coalition continues to splinter in the face of insurgent violence. Poland sent mixed signals about its troop commitment yesterday after the Dominican Republic followed Spain and Honduras in announcing that it would withdraw its troops from the country. Wednesday's co-ordinated car bombings in the southern city of Basra rocked the coalition because the British-controlled south had been an area of relative calm. The toll from the attack...

Anzac spirit patrols streets of Baghdad AS the death toll mounts in Iraq, Australian soldiers are playing a deadly game of cat and mouse on the dark streets of Baghdad. They move in small patrols through the war-torn city, silently scanning the rooftops and checking walled compounds for an attack that could come at any moment. During their two-hour night patrol, the paratroopers think their moment may have come when they find a man hiding in a construction site. With their Steyr assault rifles on him, the man emerges from the darkness and admits he's a neighbour just snooping around....

KARBALA, Iraq - Shiite Muslim militiamen clashed with Polish-led coalition troops in the holy city of Karbala on Friday, the latest skirmish between followers of a radical cleric and coalition forces in the south. One soldier was injured and taken to a military hospital for treatment, officials said. Militiamen attacked a military convoy made up of Polish, Bulgarian, Lithuanian and Latvian soldiers near city hall in the center of Karbala around the time of weekly Muslim prayers, said Lt. Col. Robert Strzelecki, spokesman for Camp Babylon, the main Polish base. Gunmen and soldiers exchanged fire. Strzelecki said he would withhold...

16:09 - 22.04.2004 Denmark Plans for Larger Role in Iraq COPENHAGEN(BGNES)- Denmark's 510 troops could expand their role in Iraq, the Danish army said on Thursday in a boost to the U.S.-led coalition being abandoned by other allies in the face of violence. Under the army plan, Denmark's 510 troops already based in southern Iraq would begin sharing control also around Basra -- in cooperation with British troops there. Army spokesman Christian Soerensen said the plan would be presented to Defence Minister Svend Aage Jensby on Thursday. "It's still something we're considering at the moment, but our decision will depend...

Poland wants to keep its troops on in Iraq after 30 June, but only if the Iraqi authorities so wish after the handover of power, Defence Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski has said. "Poland's military presence in Iraq after 30 June depends on how the political process goes and the attitude of the provisional Iraqi government, which will decide whether it is interested in the presence of Polish armed forces," Szmajdzinski told reporters on Thursday. Szmajdzinski said Poland's military presence in Iraq after 30 June, when an Iraqi government is to take control from a US-led occupation authority, depended on wishes of...

<p>Warsaw , Apr. 22 (UPI) -- Poland's Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said Thursday Polish forces would remain in Iraq at least until free elections can be held next year.</p> <p>Poland, a staunch ally of the United States, heads a multi-national force of some 9,500 troops, including around 2,500 of its own soldiers.</p>

Norway is the next coalition country to leave Iraq before June 30. According to Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen, his country sees as priority the peacekeeping mission of its troops in Afghanistan. Since Spain announced that it would pull out its 1,400 troops, Honduras, with 368, and the Dominican Republic, with 302, have also decided to withdraw their soldiers. Meanwhile, Thailand's prime minister said his country would withdraw its non-combat troops from Iraq if they were attacked. US Secretary of State Colin Powell has made phone calls this week to try to hold the rest of the 20-some coalition intact.

<p>Members of the U.S.-led Iraq coalition said yesterday that the decision of three countries to withdraw their troops from Iraq does not set a trend, while others said they were rethinking their position.</p> <p>Spain, which was the first coalition member to announce a pullout, sent its top diplomat to Washington to ease tensions resulting from the decision and assure the administration that Madrid wants a strong relationship.</p>