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Polish Troops Won't Leave Iraq in 2005
WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Poland will keep its soldiers in Iraq at least through the end of the year, when the U.N. mandate for foreign troops expires, the country's defense minister said Friday.Leaders in Poland, which commands a 6,000-strong multinational force in Iraq, have expressed hope that Iraq's Jan. 30 elections will pave the way for an eventual withdrawal of foreign troops. But Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski told The Associated Press that Poland's previous commitment remains in force. "We will be there until the end of the year," he told the AP by telephone from France, where he is attending a NATO meeting. "There is a decision by the president that Polish soldiers will be there until Dec. 31, 2005 - up to 1,700 soldiers plus an additional 700 troops on standby in Poland, and that's how it will be." Poland has more than 2,400 troops in the multinational force, which is based in central Iraq south of Baghdad. It is reducing its presence to 1,700 troops this month. Sixteen 16 Polish soldiers have died in Iraq. Poland is one of more than 25 countries with troops in Iraq. President Aleksander Kwasniewski has been among the strongest supporters of the U.S.-led war. Parliamentary and presidential elections are planned in Poland this fall, and Kwasniewski cannot seek another term. Decisions on the Iraqi mission beyond 2005 will be taken by the country's new leaders, Szmajdzinski said.
Posted by: Steve White 2005-02-11 |
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| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=56220 |