Comments

You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name

Your e-mail (optional)

Website (optional)

	My Original Nic Pic-a-Nic Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Foto

Submit your comments on this article

Iraq

Italian FM says troops will leave Iraq by end of year

2006-06-08

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Italy announced its intention on Wednesday to pull out all its troops by the end of the year, an action that further reduces the number of international troops supporting the United States in Iraq. Italian Foreign Minister Massimo DAlema said Italy would begin reducing the number of Italian troops in Iraq this month and the Italian military presence in Iraq will end by the end of the year.

My sprize meter wriggled a bit. I thought for sure they'd gone within days of Prodi's election.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Iraqis would be ready to take over responsibility for the southeastern area where the Italians are based. This withdrawal will not begin suddenly but it will be gradual, he said during a joint news conference at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. We have a security plan to transfer the security tasks from the Italian forces to the Iraqi forces starting end of this month.

Thanks for the help, and wish you'd stay til the end. Your troops deserve the honor of finishing what they started.

Posted by:Steve White

#9 hmmm four forward gears and six reverse. Plus ca Change, Plus ca Meme

Posted by: pihkalbadger 2006-06-08 19:25

#8 Uh....I know. I used the term to mean the country, not the individual soldiers.

Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-06-08 10:33

#7 It's not the Italian troops, mcgeek1, it's the leadership.

Posted by: Alaska Paul 2006-06-08 10:23

#6 Brave brave Italians, brave Italians ran away.....Bravely ran away away, oh brave Italians! When danger reared it's ugly head, they bravely turned their tail and fled, Oh brave Italians....

Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-06-08 10:19

#5 Great background, A5089! Stones for sculptures vs stones for bidets. That's a keeper.

Posted by: Alaska Paul 2006-06-08 09:32

#4 Actually, I believe he was called chirouette, a wordplay on that, but I'm not sure (mind you, when he was seen as a solid, atlantist tatcherite conservative back in the early 780's, the left called him facho-chirac, "fascist chirac").
He was also dubbed "Mr 5 minutes, shower included", for his supposed infamous "quickness" in his many affairs and extra-conjugal encounters. An another popular Rpr (his first party) nickname was supposedly "le grand con" (the tall c*nt).
Disappointed followers, and they are plenty, he betrayed/destroyed the whole french right, had very harsh words for him, the more famous being Miss Garaud, "I thought chirac was made from the stone used to carve sculptures, in fact he's made from the one used to make bidets".

Posted by: anonymous5089 2006-06-08 05:04

#3 With that kind of a stunning recommendation? Probably. Last I heard nobody in the US political system has managed to get a full immunity from ongoing corruption investigations on the grounds that cooperating would conflict with their official duties. I'd love to see someone try to pull something like that here in the US ...

They don't call Chirac La Girouette for nothing, lemme tell you.

Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-06-08 01:06

#2 Less corrrupt and manipulative than Chirac: gee Dan, wotta endorsement. Can I get you to endorse the Democrats in 2008? :-)

Posted by: Steve White 2006-06-08 00:55

#1 I would note that Prodi is far saner than other elements of the European left (believe me, I am not happy about the Italian elections for a number of reasons), particularly someone like Zapatero, who should be thanking Garzon and del Olmo every day that his country remains safe despite his idiocy. We should probably view Prodi as less corrupt and manipulative version of Chirac, which while far from ideal is still better than the alternative.

Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-06-08 00:24

00:00