Pressured by the U.S. and lured by the promise of "an easing of visa requirements," "more military assistance," and "hopes of Polish companies gaining lucrative oil exploration contracts in Iraq," on Wednesday, the new prime minister, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, asked President Lech Kaczynski to keep Polish troops in Iraq through 2006, despite the fact that 70% of Poles are opposed, the Financial Times reported.[1]  --  Jan Cienski noted that "The previous government had pledged to remove the 1,450 Polish troops by the end of this year."  --  But it may make a difference that the new conservative government is more pro-American than the previous one, "particularly Radoslaw Sikorski, the defense minister, who worked in Washington at the American Enterprise Institute,the neoconservative think tank, and who has close ties with the Republican administration."  --  Reuters noted that "Polish troops in south-central Iraq are the fifth biggest military contingent after the United States, Britain, South Korea and Italy."[2]  --  Reuters also reported that Bulgaria and Ukraine have pulled out of Iraq completely.  --  Paul Richter of the Los Angeles Times emphasized not that Polish troops are staying, however, but that they are being reduced by 40% and switched to non-combat roles.[3]  --  "America's partners in the 'coalition of the willing,' as the Bush administration had dubbed it, have dwindled from a peak of 38 nations and 50,000 troops in mid-2003 to 27 countries and about 22,000 troops, according to a recent State Department tally," wrote Richter.  "Most of the remaining countries have announced that they will end their participation in 2006."  --  Richter pointed out that "the $600-million cost of the Iraq deployment equaled 10% of [Poland's] military budget."  --  Such extravagant spending on a foreign involvement that does nothing to enhance the Polish people's security (and very probably diminishes it) demonstrates the gross cynicism of the leadership in Warsaw.  --  The 27 countries with troops still in Iraq supporting the U.S. mission are Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Georgia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia and South Korea....

1.

World

Europe

POLISH GOVERNMENT ASKS TO KEEP TROOPS IN IRAQ NEXT YEAR
By Jan Cienski in Warsaw

Financial Times (UK)
December 28, 2005

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/6400f098-7746-11da-a7d1-0000779e2340.html

Poland's new government yesterday sent a request to Lech Kaczynski, the president, to keep Polish troops in Iraq through 2006 to help train the Iraqi military.

The previous government had pledged to remove the 1,450 Polish troops by the end of this year.

But Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, the prime minister, said he decided to prolong their stay after receiving requests from Iraqi officials and Polish allies. The soldiers will focus more on training Iraqis and less on combating insurgents.

The decision was opposed by the leading opposition party, Civic Platform, which said Poland had completed its mission and should withdraw. That was echoed by the minority government's informal supporter, the populist League of Polish Families, whose leader Roman Giertych yesterday called the decision to stay in Iraq "a great strategic error."

The mission in Iraq is not popular, with opinion polls showing that 70 per cent of Poles disagree with the operation. The death of 17 Polish troops in Iraq, as well as of two Polish journalists, has soured public opinion.

"This is a very difficult decision," Mr. Marcinkiewicz said, admitting the public opposition to the mission.

Warsaw's original decision to assist in the invasion in Iraq was seen as strengthening Poland's alliance with the U.S., which the government at the time hoped would produce economic benefits and would persuade Washington to allow Poles to travel to the U.S. without visas. There were also hopes of lucrative contracts to rebuild and rearm Iraq.

Although Poland's ranking as a U.S. ally has risen steeply thanks to the Iraq mission, Poland has seen few tangible benefits, and has paid a price in worsening relations with France and Germany, both of whom strongly opposed the war.

Although the former ex-communist government was pro-American, the new conservative government is even more so, particularly Radoslaw Sikorski, the defense minister, who worked in Washington at the American Enterprise Institute,the neoconservative think tank, and who has close ties with the Republican administration.

There are renewed hopes that the U.S. will repay Polish participation in Iraq with an easing of visa requirements and more military assistance.

During a pre-Christmas visit to Iraq, Mr. Marcinkiewicz's delegation also held out hopes of Polish companies gaining lucrative oil exploration contracts in Iraq.

In January an Iraqi delegation including the ministers of defense, finance, and oil are due to visit Warsaw

2.

POLAND SAYS WILL KEEP TROOPS IN IRAQ UNTIL END 2006
By Nathaniel Espino and Natalia Reiter

Reuters
December 27, 2005

Original source: Reuters

WARSAW -- Poland's government said on Tuesday it would keep troops in Iraq until the end of 2006, longer than earlier planned, reaffirming its backing for the United States despite growing opposition at home.

But the present total of 1,500 troops will be cut to 900 by March.

The previous leftist government, which stood up to European Union heavyweights Germany and France by firmly supporting the U.S.-led war in Iraq, planned to pull troops out in early 2006 after gradually reducing its forces in the course of this year.

"The government decided to ask the president to extend the deployment of Polish military forces as part of the international forces in Iraq from January 1, 2006 until December 31, 2006," Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz told a news conference.

"We take into consideration the fact that the mandate of U.N. stabilization forces has been extended to the whole of 2006 and, secondly, strong requests of Iraqi authorities that we stay there," he said.

Deputy Defense Minister Stanislaw Koziej told the news conference Poland's military force in Iraq would be reduced to 900 in March 2006. He said the focus of Poland's presence would also shift toward the training of Iraqi forces.

Polish troops in south-central Iraq are the fifth biggest military contingent after the United States, Britain, South Korea and Italy.

BULGARIA, UKRAINE PULLOUT

Bulgaria has withdrawn its entire 334-strong light infantry battalion from Iraq, the Bulgarian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. The Bulgarian parliament approved the withdrawal in May in response to strong public opposition to the war.

The withdrawal coincided with a similar pullout by Ukraine, another of the largest contributors to the U.S.-led operation.

The last convoy of military hardware of the Ukrainian contingent in Iraq prepared to board a ship in Kuwait on Tuesday, completing the withdrawal of its servicemen, the Defense Ministry said according to Interfax news agency.

Warsaw's decision is a boost for President George W. Bush, who has cited Poland as a key member of the "coalition of the willing" in the face of criticism at home over the rising toll and costs of the war and dwindling international forces in Iraq.

Tuesday's decision leaves Poland's ruling conservatives the only party to support the further military presence in Iraq which was opposed by other mainstream parties that had backed the troop deployment in 2003 but sought a pull-out by early 2006.

Surveys have consistently showed a majority of Poles opposed to the military mission, but unlike in some western European countries, the issue played a marginal role in recent elections.

Commentators say Poland's own recent history of overcoming communism and winning freedom makes Poles more likely to support Bush's campaign to spread democracy than Western Europeans.

3.

The Conflict in Iraq

POLAND ADDS TO COALITION TROOP CUTS

By Paul Richter

** The U.S. ally says it will pull out 40% of its force. The news comes as Bulgaria and Ukraine complete their exits, dismaying Washington. **

Los Angeles Times
December 28, 2005

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-troops28dec28,1,5596152.story?coll=la-headlines-world

WASHINGTON -- The U.S.-led international military coalition in Iraq shrank further Tuesday after Bulgaria and Ukraine completed troop withdrawals and Poland announced it was reducing its contingent 40% while switching to a noncombat role.

Responding to appeals by U.S. officials, the Polish government reversed an earlier plan to remove all of its troops by the end of this year. But officials of the East European nation said the 900 remaining soldiers of its previous 1,500-strong force would focus almost exclusively on training Iraqis as they wind down their mission over the next year.

Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz said in Warsaw that the government would like to complete the drawdown of its forces "not in an abrupt way, but gradually."

In a previously announced departure, Ukraine removed a final 876 troops. Bulgaria withdrew 380.

America's partners in the "coalition of the willing," as the Bush administration had dubbed it, have dwindled from a peak of 38 nations and 50,000 troops in mid-2003 to 27 countries and about 22,000 troops, according to a recent State Department tally. Most of the remaining countries have announced that they will end their participation in 2006.

Because only the 8,000-member British force plays a substantial combat role, the disappearance of the international contingent would not be a major military setback for the United States. But the departures represent a political setback for the administration, because foreign troops help lend international legitimacy to the effort to build a new Iraq.

U.S. officials recently have stepped up their efforts to build international support for Iraq in hope of strengthening the young government in Baghdad. U.S. and Iraqi officials have been urging coalition members around the world to delay their departures.

Polish officials have made it clear that they hope their continuing cooperation will result in a payoff in the form of U.S. aid, although they insist that the decision to stay is not linked to it. They have pressed for additional American help in modernizing their military, pointing out that their own military reform program has been hindered by the cost of Polish operations in Iraq.

The issues were discussed this month in Washington, where Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld met with Polish Defense Minister Radek Sikorski and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Polish Foreign Minister Stefan Meller.

Marek Purowski, a spokesman for the Polish Embassy in Washington, said U.S. officials had appealed to Polish leaders to extend the Iraq mission, adding that he hoped their cooperation would help persuade Washington to contribute to the modernization of the Polish armed forces.

"We do expect some help from the United States, in modernizing our army and keeping it up to date," Purowski said. He said that the $600-million cost of the Iraq deployment equaled 10% of the country's military budget.

Poland's troop presence in Iraq is opposed by about 70% of the public there, according to a poll. But Purowski said Poland was committed to the Iraq mission and decided to extend the troops' stay "to finish what we started." He insisted, however, that Polish cooperation in Iraq was "absolutely not based on the fact that we expect something in return."

Still, Polish leaders have voiced hopes that their participation would yield valuable reconstruction contracts and persuade Washington to soften its tough policy on visas for Poles. Neither has happened, however, even though President Bush and other U.S. leaders have lavishly praised Warsaw for its support of the mission.

Air Force Maj. Todd Vician, a Pentagon spokesman, said the Defense Department was pleased that Poland had extended its troops' presence in Iraq.

He said that the country "has played a vital role in promoting democracy and security in Iraq" and that its decision was "another sign of support for the Iraqi people in their quest for freedom and a new way of life."

The White House said it respected the decisions made by Poland, Bulgaria, and Ukraine but declined to discuss the effect they might have on U.S. plans to reduce its forces next year.

"Those are questions the president has always left to his military commanders in the field," White House Deputy Press Secretary Trent Duffy told reporters in Crawford, Texas, where Bush is spending the week at his ranch.

"Decisions on whether or at what level to support the mission in Iraq . . . are decisions for those countries to make on their own," Duffy said. "We respect those decisions."

South Korea, which is the largest contributor of troops after Britain, is expected to pull out about 1,000 of its 3,200 service members in the first half of 2006. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said last month that Italy's 2,900 troops in Iraq would probably all go home next year. The list of countries whose forces remain in Iraq includes many small or poor nations that stand to benefit from a good relationship with the United States. During a November stop in Mongolia, Bush praised the Asian country's 120 "fearless warriors" who are serving in Iraq and pledged $11 million in aid for Mongolia.

The 27 countries with troops still serving in Iraq are: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Georgia, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia and South Korea.