Poland to reduce its force in Iraq
By Paul Richter
Los Angeles Times
Oct 16 2004
WASHINGTON – The prime minister of Poland told his parliament Friday
that he would begin drawing down the 2,500 Polish soldiers in Iraq
in January, another blow to a U.S.-led coalition that has lost nearly
one-third of its members this year.
Addressing his parliament before a vote of confidence, Prime Minister
Marek Belka promised, “We will not remain in Iraq an hour longer
than is sensible, than necessary to achieve our mission’s goal:
To return Iraq to the Iraqi people and give security to the world.”
Polish officials had been hinting at a troop reduction for nearly
two weeks. The Polish troops have a special importance to the
international coalition, because Warsaw’s forces have led an
8,000-member international division in south-central Iraq and have
been praised repeatedly by President Bush for their service.
Eight other countries have withdrawn all of their troops from the
coalition since February: the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Norway, the Philippines, Singapore, Spain and Thailand.
Officials of two other countries, Ukraine and Moldova, have indicated
a desire to withdraw, and the subject has been under discussion in
several other countries, such as the Netherlands and Denmark.
Armenia’s prime minister also suggested Friday the Caucasus country
might not send troops to Iraq, saying conditions there have changed
since the 50 were promised.
Of the 30 allied forces, only six have 1,000 or more soldiers in Iraq.
The strength of the coalition has been a major issue in the U.S.
presidential debates. President Bush repeatedly cited the Poles as
a steadfast ally.
Polish officials have suggested they might first reduce the force by
40 percent and pull out the last troops by the end of next year.