About Face................
Official: Polish Troops to Stay in Iraq
By BEATA PASEK, Associated Press Writer
WARSAW, Poland - Poland must decide how long its troops can stay in Iraq (news - web sites) after Spain's pullout, the prime minister said Wednesday, but his spokesman stressed that Poland — which leads a multinational peacekeeping force — has no plans to abandon its commitment for now.
"Poland will be in Iraq as long as necessary, until the situation there is stabilized," spokesman Marcin Kaszuba told The Associated Press. "Poland has not and is not considering a troop withdrawal."
Earlier, the Polish news agency PAP quoted Prime Minister Leszek Miller, who leaves office early next month, as saying Poland "cannot turn a blind eye" to the Spanish pullout. The comments suggested Warsaw might be rethinking its Iraq mission.
But Kaszuba said Miller meant only to restate the government's position "that the government is not considering increasing its contingent" in Iraq.
Poland leads a multinational force of 9,500 troops in central Iraq, including 2,400 Polish troops. The 1,300 Spanish troops that the new Madrid government is withdrawing are in the same sector.
Spain plans to bring home all its troops within six weeks. Following the Spanish lead, Honduras and the Dominican Republic said they too would remove troops soon.
Miller told PAP that the Spanish pullout was a problem that required decisions. He said his government was discussing the issue with the Americans.
"We will not make any rash gestures," Miller told PAP, apparently referring to the fact that the Spanish pullout was announced hours after Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was sworn in Sunday. "The final decision about the pullout will be agreed and thought over, but the problem exists."
"We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that Spain and others are leaving Iraq," he was quoted as saying. "I cannot say when we will leave Iraq, but I am sure the new prime minister will be more precise."
Miller is stepping down on May 2. His likely successor is Marek Belka, who has said Polish troops will stay in Iraq until the situation stabilizes. Until last month, Belka directed economic policy in Iraq for the U.S.-led coalition.
The Polish-led multinational troops are stationed in south-central Iraq, which in recent weeks has become the center of a violent uprising by followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
The 23-nation force now regularly comes under attack — overnight, the insurgents fired mortars at a Spanish base in Najaf.
Poland took part in the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) last year, and Polish leaders have upheld their commitment in Iraq despite polls showing that many citizens oppose it. |
