U.S. to Pay $230 Million for Polish - Led Iraq Force (Brit/Spain are free)

[papau]

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-iraq-usa-poland.html
U.S. to Pay $230 Million for Polish - Led Iraq Force
By REUTERS


Filed at 12:58 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has signed an agreement with Poland to pay at least $230 million in airlift and other expenses for the Polish-led multinational division set to serve in Iraq, the Pentagon said Tuesday....about $200 million to cover various support costs for these troops, including food and medical expenses....another $30 million to $40 million in airlift costs.. <snip>

The agreement was signed last week, the official said.
Poland will send 2,300 troops to Iraq to work alongside 1,300 Spanish troops and soldiers from Ukraine and other countries in a postwar stabilization force that the Poles will command in central and southern Iraq. The Pentagon will not be paying the salaries of the troops serving in this division, the official said. Poland has agreed to pay roughly $30 million in support and airlift expenses, the official added.

The Defense Department will not pick up the costs of a second, British-led multinational division, the official said, and Spain also is expected to pay its own costs.<snip>
``The Spanish and the British are basically paying their own way,'' the official said. <snip>

[GainesT1958]

1. Makes that moniker even more apt:

"Coalition of the Bought"! :eyes:

B-)

[saigon68]

4. COALITION OF THE BRIBED

Lets really call it, what it is----


or how about

THE COALITION OF THE SUBORNED


disgusting

[Barrett808]

10. I think the phrase inside the Beltway is: "Coalition of the Billing" n/t

n/t

[NickDanger]

17. Mercenaries

eom

[jpak]

2. Mercenaries

Every self respecting Empire needs 'em.

They are nothing but cannon fodder that will die in place of American soldiers.

Which is the real reason why they are being sent there.

[papau]

3. Why didn't we buy poor country military for VietNam?

There were folks fighting along side us - but I did not hear that we had paid them - beyond the usual "liking them more" so they get commercial favors.

[ramapo]

5. Why not buy Poland?

Buy the country, military included. No telling what neat post-soviet stuff we'll get.

[denverbill]

6. Jebus. $100,000 per soldier?

I imagine the US could recruit soldiers for Iraq duty if they paid $100K/year, even if they had to pay for their own flight to Iraq.

I wonder who's getting the graft here?

[robbedvoter]

8. Mebbe, but they screw light bulbs like no other soldier!

Great to know oyr burdens are shared with a multinational coalition! How mny words is this? 16? More?

[sam sarrha]

14. the F'n war costs the same as paying every soul in the usa $166,000 a day!

[PurityOfEssence]

7. Were the Hessians busy or something?

It's a broad coalition.

[Barrett808]

9. Aren't the Poles also being paid in oil?

I have the link somewhere.

Ah, here it is:

Endziel Ölfelder
http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,255683,00.html

Polens Außenminister scheint ein Freund offener Worte zu sein. Er enthüllte die wahren Interessen, die hinter dem polnischen Engagement im Irak stehen. Der Zugang zu den irakischen Erdölfeldern sei das "Endziel".

Warschau - "Wir verbergen nicht, dass wir wollen, dass polnische petrochemische Unternehmen endlich unmittelbaren Zugang zu Rohstoffen haben", sagte Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz nach Informationen der Nachrichtenagentur PAP. Der Außenminister sprach nach der Unterzeichnung eines Kooperationsvertrages zwischen dem Konzern Kellog, Brown & Root und der polnischen Erdölfirma Nafta Polska SA als Vertreter eines Konsortiums polnischer Firmen. In dem Vertrag geht es um die Zusammenarbeit beim Wiederaufbau des Irak.

Polen gehörte während des Irak-Krieges mit knapp 200 Soldaten zur "Koalition der Willigen", die unter Führung der USA an dem Krieg gegen das erdölreiche Land teilnahm. Der Einsatz, von dem Polen nach Willen polnischer Unternehmen wirtschaftlich profitieren soll, hat das Land als enger Bündnispartner der USA bereits politisch gestärkt.

Polen soll in einer eigenen Verwaltungszone im Irak die Lage stabilisieren und den Wiederaufbau organisieren. Am Mittwoch waren die ersten 250 polnischen Soldaten in die Golfregion aufgebrochen. Insgesamt sollen 2300 polnische Soldaten in der mehr als 9000 Mann umfassenden multinationalen Truppe in der polnischen Besatzungszone eingesetzt werden.


Babelfish translation:

Final goal of oil fields

Of Poland ministers of foreign affairs a friend of open words seems to be. It revealed the true interests, which stand behind the Polish commitment in the Iraq. The entrance to the Iraqi oil fields is the "final goal".

Warsaw - "we do not hide that we want that Polish petrochemical enterprises have finally direct entrance to raw materials", said Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz after information of the press agency PAP. The minister of foreign affairs spoke after the signing of a co-operation contract between the company Kellog, Brown & root and the Polish oil company Nafta Polska SA as a representative of a consortium of Polish companies. In the contract is around co-operation in the reconstruction Iraq.

Poland belonged to that during the Iraq war with scarcely 200 soldiers to the "coalition consenting", which participated under guidance of the USA in the war against the oil-rich country. The employment, from which Poland is to profit after will of Polish enterprises economically, strengthened the country as close allies of the USA already politically.

Poland is to stabilize the situation in its own administrative zone in the Iraq and organize the reconstruction. On Wednesday the first 250 Polish soldiers were broken open into the Gulf region. Altogether 2300 Polish soldiers are to be inserted into the more than 9000 men comprehensive multinational troop in the Polish zone of occupation.

[David__77]

11. One pricey fig leaf!

In the old days before the neocons squandered goodwill toward the US, this price wouldn't be so high!

[freethought23]

12. What is Spain getting out of this?

Anybody know?

[sam sarrha]

13. how about some money to mobalize some unemployed folks back to

being tax payers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MRDU]

15. Disparate measures..

"Coalition of the Billing" indeed! Isn't there a pollock joke in here somewhere? How many Polish troops does it take to quell an Iraqi quagmire?

[revcarol]

16. Wanna bet that this ISN'T in the $56 BILLION supplemental

they're trying to get thru Congress?

They're gonna steal this money from something else, something that no doubt affect the lives of our servicemen...

Remember Bush's trips in front of cutsie backdrops financed from HHS funds that directly cut HHS service to real people?

Follow the money...backwards.