Poland Wants Troops in Iraq Another Year

[cal04]

- Poland's government has asked the president to keep Polish troops in Iraqfor another year, the premier said Tuesday. If President Lech Kaczynski agrees to Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz's request, it would reverse the decision by the last government to bring troops home within the next few weeks.

"The government has asked the president to extend our mission in Iraq," Marcinkiewicz told reporters in Warsaw following the government's weekly meeting. Marcinkiewicz called it "a very difficult decision." The deployment is unpopular, and 17 Polish soldiers have died.

Under Polish law, the president approves overseas military deployments as the armed forces' commander in chief. Kaczynski, who took office last week, has until the end of the month to decide.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051227/ap_on_re_eu/poland_iraq_2

[msongs]

1. Poland being paid cash by the US - follow the $$ nt

[babylonsister]

2. Bingo-my first thought. Why else? nt

[Betsy Ross]

3. Is there any other thought but $$$? n/t

[ixion]

4. shame on Poland

after living through illegal occupation first hand, for them to continue to participate.

[Ladyhawk]

5. Hmmm, I'd forgotten about Poland.

:P

[stepnw1f]

6. Such a Christian Nation

just like the US. Sold to the highest bidder. Shame...

[0007]

10. Poland has learned how to shake the tree when times are tough

[liberal N proud]

7. I thought Poland was pulling their troops out?

Did they just never give a time frame?

[Kagemusha]

8. They got a new right-wing government.

Twins run the presidency and the prime ministership now. Pro-Bush.

[AndyTiedye]

9. New Right-Wing Goverment was (s?)Elected

[PATRICK]

11. Goes hand in hand with

the silent scuttling of the retention investigation in Poland just days after the appointment a strangely upright Conservative Euro "hero" to take no prisoners in getting to the bottom of it.

I'd like to see the memos on this one. Naturally its foreign levies in, US troops out, but I don't think there are enough anywhere to really get a significant swap, just enough to protect the token reduction for selection 2006 in America.

[daleo]

12. I think there must have been some U.S. bribes paid to Polish legislators

I can't see any other reason the Polish government would want to continue with this fiasco.

[TheRepublicanSlayer]

13. Get out now!!!

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2005/December/focusoniraq_December176.xml§ion=focusoniraq


"The top US military commander admitted on Sunday that Iraqis wanted US and other foreign troops to leave the country “as soon as possible,” and said US troop levels in Iraq were now being re-assessed on a monthly basis.

The admission by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Marine General Peter Pace followed a decision by the Pentagon to reduce the current level of 160,000 soldiers in Iraq by two army brigades, which amounts to about 7,000 soldiers.

“Understandably, Iraqis themselves would prefer to have coalition forces leave their country as soon as possible,” Pace said in a Christmas Day interview on Fox News Sunday. “They don’t want us to leave tomorrow, but they do want us to leave as soon as possible.”"