From: peewe (68.12.251.128)
Subject: Coalition desolving
Date: December 27, 2005 at 9:28 pm PST

Coalition partners pull out from Iraq
27/12/2005 - 18:28:49

The US coalition in Iraq saw its size dwindle today as Ukraine
and Bulgaria said all of their troops had left the country
while Poland said it would remain, but reduce its number of
troops by 600 next year.

The Polish government’s decision, which must be approved by
President Lech Kaczynski, would be a boost for US President
George W Bush, who has faced withering criticism at home and
abroad ovr his handling of the Iraq war and the growing
insurgency there.

Polish Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz said keeping
troops there longer would support “the growing democratisation
of life” in Iraq after the country’s constitutional referendum
and parliamentary elections.

“We would like to gradually carry the pull out of Polish
troops from Iraq, not in an abrupt way, but gradually,” he
said in Warsaw.

“Stabilisation is taking place. The high turn out in the
October referendum and a still higher turnout in the elections
on December 15 – all this suggests that within two or three
months there will be a government of national unity in place
created by all the political forces in Iraq.”

Marcinkiewicz conceded it was “a very difficult decision.” The
deployment, which has cost the lives of 17 Polish soldiers, is
unpopular with the public.

Kaczynski, who took office last week, has until the end of the
month to decide. As the armed forces’ commander in chief, the
president approves overseas military deployments.

His approval, however, was considered largely a formality due
to his closeness to Marcinkiewicz’ government. Kaczynski is a
leading member of the prime minister’s conservative party, Law
and Justice, while the party’s chairman is his twin brother,
Jaroslaw Kaczynski.

Ukraine and Bulgaria, which had troops serving in Iraq under
Polish command, both announced that they had completed the
withdrawal of their forces from Iraq.

Poland’s own troop levels would be cut to 900 from about 1,500
in March, said the deputy defence minister Gen Stanislaw
Koziej. The soldiers will focus on advising and training Iraqi
security forces, he added.

Marcinkiewicz said the decision also came upon appeals from US
leaders, and considering the United Nations Security Council’s
extension last summer of its mission in Iraq.

Ukraine’s defence ministry said that its last troops had left
Iraq, fulfilling a long-planned withdrawal pledged by
President Viktor Yushchenko.

A column of eight armoured personnel carriers and 44 soldiers
had left the country and arrived in Kuwait, the statement
said. Ukraine had kept 867 soldiers in Iraq after partial pull
outs earlier this year. By Friday, all are due back in
Ukraine, where the deployment has been unpopular.

About 50 Ukrainian military instructors will stay on to train
Iraqi forces.

Ukraine opposed the invasion of Iraq but later contributed
1,650 troops to the US-led coalition, becoming one of the
largest non-NATO participants. Eighteen Ukrainian soldiers
have been killed and another 32 wounded.

In Bulgaria, Defence Minister Veselin Bliznakov said that his
country had completed its own military pull out from Iraq.

Bulgaria began withdrawing its troops from the city of
Diwaniya shortly after Iraq’s parliamentary elections,
transferring its military responsibilities to Iraqi forces.

Bliznakov has said that Bulgaria will “most likely” continue
its military involvement in Iraq next year by contributing a
120-strong non-combat unit tasked with guarding the Ashraf
refugee camp.

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