Coalition forces in Iraq: Slovakia stays, Hungary goes

EUActiv ^ | 25 November 2004 - 08:45

[jb6]

In Short:

While Slovakia has reiterated its commitment to the coalition forces in Iraq, Hungary has announced a full troop withdrawal by the end of the year.

Brief News:

Slovakia has no intention to recall its 100-odd troops from Iraq and will continue to maintain its contribution to the coalition forces there, President Ivan Gasparovic said at NATO headquarters on 25 November. Meanwhile, Hungary announced that its 300-strong military contingent would be fully withdrawn from Iraq by 31 December 2004.

According to Gasparovic, whose country joined NATO in April 2004, Slovakia's military involvement may even increase after the scheduled January elections in Iraq. Slovakia's troops consist mostly of military engineers charged with de-mining operations.

Meanwhile, Hungary is set to join the dozen or so countries among NATO's 26 members which prefer to "bow to public pressure" and stay away from Iraq. Under a recent decision by the parliament in Budapest, Hungary announced on 25 November that it would fully withdraw its forces from Iraq by the end of the year. However, local press reports said that Hungary's defence minister has been authorised to negotiate the contribution of 150 Hungarian soldiers to NATO's newly proposed training mission in Iraq.

Of the original 32 states in the Iraq coalition, 15 have already packed up or plan to withdraw. These include Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Honduras, the Philippines, Norway, Poland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Thailand, Singapore, Moldova, and Bulgaria. Japan aims to limit its military presence to non-combat roles. Still present are Britain, South Korea, Italy and Australia. Germany, along with Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Spain have refused to let their troops stationed at NATO's operations bases participate in the military alliance's new training mission in Iraq.

[kosta50]

Gee Kosta - help me out here: If you don't believe me, why would you ask me to make a statement?

For the record.

America is a big country and has a lot of different opinions. For anyone to claim to monopolize what "being American" is seems a little presumptuous, don't you think?

Not to talk about being manipulative and deceitful. You tried to avoid my question. Since when is Moses or Mohammed considered God? That you denied Jesus is of no surprise to me. Now, a man who seems to "know" that there is no supreme being (are you sure you name isn't Adam?), you certainly must know that you didn't answer my question.

You hate is something very sad, Hoplite. Tell me something: when you see a house, do you think it just appeared or that it was made? Just because nature does not build houses doesn't mean that it just appeared. Not even you just appeared out of thin air, although you may have fallen from the sky.

Maybe you'd be better off focusing on your Islamic friends who delight in kidnapping and slowly cutting off heads of unarmed civilians. Have you seen any of those videos? Oh, maybe you think they are Serbs disguised as Islamic insurgents...that's what it is, isn't it? Your selective outrage is nauseating, Hoplite.

[kosta50]

Tell me Kosta - if America supports setting up stable democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq, thus benefitting the Muslims who live there, is that a pro-Islamic policy?

We are setting up stable democracies in Muslim lands? Could you please show me one stable democracy of the Muslim kind that we set up, or for that matter in the whole world? Let's see, Egypt has been "stable" but with one and the same party in power for the last 40 years; Marocco is a absolute kingdom; Saudi Arabia is as far from democracy as it gets; Kuwait is a joke; Iraq will not be stable; Jordan is ab absolute monarchy even if it isn't on paper; Pakistan is a product of a military coup; Indonesia was Siharto's big fithdom (I wouldn't want to live in that kind of democracy); Brunei is an absolutist sultanate; Malasia is stable but I wouldn't call it a democracy (you can go to jail for spitting on a side walk). Bosnia will neither be a democracy nor stable; Kosovo will be stable for a while but not a democracy. Lybia and Algiers are not democracies. Somalia is about to be occupied (again); we failed to establish either stability or dmeocracy there.

Get real.

[Grzegorz 246]

"So, Poland is pulling out, along with Hungary."

Are you really so dumb ? This article is from November 2004.

"Hungary has announced a full troop withdrawal by the end of the year.[2004]" They have already withdrawn. Polish soldiers will be withdrawn not sooner than in December 2005/January 2006, because according to UN resolutions they can't stay there longer.

[Lukasz]

Well he is just troll and we no his intentions. But I agree it is so pitiful.

[Hoplite]

So you now have me on the record at least twice in regards to my views on religion.

Not surprisingly, this is just a repetition of the last time we went through this exercise - the surah, or declaration of faith in the Koran contains my views on the matter in it's first four words: "There is no God".

There ends any congruence of thought between myself and Muslims. As I told you earlier, I view God the same way I view Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny: created by man, not the other way around, and I "hate" this mythical supreme being about as much as I hate Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.

To answer your house analogy, I don't know how the Universe came about - nobody does. If you want to believe that it was created by some being just so he could puzzle you with his mysterious ways by collapsing church roofs onto congregations every now and then, well that's your right, Kosta, knock yourself out. My quarrel with you isn't over your religious beliefs until you use them to rationalize or excuse criminal behavior by your co-religionists.

With that said, Kosta, I don't recall ever excusing any crimes perpetrated against Serbs. Ever. So maybe you could help me out here and find some posts to support your contention? Given your efforts in regards to my religious views, however, maybe you had better just save yourself the time and recognize that you're yet again arguing against what you think are my positons and beliefs, rather than what I've declared them to be on many occasions. In case it's slipped your notice, we don't have a whole lot of Croats, Bosniaks, or K-Albanians on this site cheerleading for or attempting to exculpate their team's criminals. That job has been taken up almost exclusively hereabouts by Serbs and their Orthodox co-religionists, which is why I've spent a disproportionate amount of time making them look like the amoral, ignorant idiots they are.

As to our efforts towards building democracies in Muslim nations, Bosnia still has a Christian majority, though the fact is lost on you as the other Christians there are mere targets for you and yours, to include their Churches. Kosovo is still a part of Serbia, though I doubt the locals will ever reconcile to being ruled by Belgrade again in this lifetime and their views on minorities in their midst are not really any different from you and yours so it looks to be an internationally adminstered area for some time to come - not the optimal state, but far better than what it was.

Which brings us to Afghanistan and Iraq - instead of addressing our efforts in those two countries, you're off on a whirlwind tour of the rest of the world. Why? Because your comment about me being pro-Islamic was just stupid, that's why.

[jb6]

Are you really so dumb ? This article is from November 2004.

Oh yes, the article is a little over a month old, ancient history for those making excuses for the EU. How silly of me.

[jb6]

Um, Mr. Jihad, eat your shorts:

Serbs to fight beside US troops in Afghanistan06/10/2003 Serbian troops are set to join American forces in Afghanistan in a deployment certain to spark fury across the Muslim world.

Yup, I see the fury got sparked in you already.

Serbia Will Send Troops and Police to Afghanistan

Serbian Cannon Fodder Slated For Afghanistan's Deadliest War Zone

Or

The New York Times, Oct 4, noted that the United States has accepted an offer by Serbia and Montenegro to send up to 1,000 combat troops and police officers to Afghanistan, according to senior Serbian officials and foreign diplomats in Belgrade. Boris Tadic, the defense minster, said that “Liberia, Iraq and Afghanistan were discussed as possible destinations for Serbian troops” but “Afghanistan was more likely the potential destination.” The Daily Telegraph, Oct 6, wrote that a deployment of Serbian troops to join American forces in Afghanistan will certainly spark fury across the Muslim world. The prospect of veterans of combats against Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo fighting in a Muslim country, under American command, against al-Qaeda and the Taliban is an unexpected offer from Belgrade that has been accepted, reports the newspaper. The Serbian troops would be deployed near Kandahar and are expected ready for deployment by March 2004

[jb6]

Hay, the Peoples Liberation Army of Palistine are atheist communists too, doesn't stop them from aligning with the Islamics and using their tactics.

[jb6]

Well he is just troll and we no his intentions. But I agree it is so pitiful.

Oh that's rich coming from EU employees who appeared all togather here, by your start dates and have been none stop spewers of EU garbage from day one. You need to get real and people are finally starting to realize what you are. I'll make sure that continues, along with realizing just what it is that you represent.

[Hoplite]

Where are those Serb troops jb6?

Not in Afghanistan, that's where. We mentioned we'd consider them only under the condition that we got to screen them for war criminals, and that was that.

Didn't it occur to you that the articles you were referencing were all about the offer, which was just a publicity stunt by Belgrade, rather than any actual deployment?

Duh.

[Grzegorz 246]

I have proved one more time that you are spreading here false informations. Just like with these bullshits that I "organized voters to vote for EU", which you wrote in many threads. I have never done it, I have never said anything about it. You are just a Soviet troll.

[eleni121]

This can only be good news...excellent development.

I had read that the heroic Serbians were prepared to assist us in Afghanistan and this confirms it.

Those like Hoplite who are islamophiles or anti Russian for stupid reasons do a lot of damage to truth on this forum by posting lies and personal attacks.

[lizol]

Give it up Grzegorz.

No matter what you write, no matter what Poland does, no matter how many Polish soldiers die in Iraq he'll always know better, that we're just "Eurofacist" trash.

Not like the real Russian friends of America, like ras-Putin et consortes (total sarcasm of course).

[jb6]

You see, that's where you are as usual wrong. I'm not against Poles, I'm against the elites that run it and sell their souls to the EU and those others who support the EU and especially those who work for it: you know, like you guys.

[lizol]

I'm not against Poles

Ha, ha, ha!!! Sure you're not, you really seem to be a great fan of Poland and Poles. Let's have some quotes from your posts, that prove your pure "respect" to my country and countrymen (taken from: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1307351/posts)

#14
They are trying to drive a wedge between a US/Russian growing alliance that side tracks the EU facists. What else to expect from a people willing to relect their own former masters and then give up their remaining rights to Brussels?

#19
Coming from a person who helped reelect communists in his own country and who willingly with joy gave up his freedom to Eurosocialists. Yeah, keep talking EUfacist #20
He's telling that to the Poles who are the most recent mouth piece for the French. The French pull their strings and they almost look life like, while spouting off the EUfacist line You see, as a new member they still have some vaneer of not being full EUshills, but that's wearing thin too.

Or another example:
In fact half of your posts in: "Ukraine Guards Glad to Work for Yushchenko" - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1313075/posts

[Torie]

Gee, and here I thought I was the only out-of-the-closet near Atheist on this forum. Maybe it helps us have a bit more of a judicial temperment in evaluating these sectarian conflicts. :)

[eleni121]

The truth shall set you free.

[jb6]

Coming from a person who helped reelect communists in his own country and who willingly with joy gave up his freedom to Eurosocialists. Yeah, keep talking EUfacist

Sorry to burst your bubble, that wasn't aimed at Poles in general, that was aimed at you and your two EU trolls in particular, as were the vast majority of my posts. I don't take you for representing Poles in general, I take you for representing the ruleing elites of the EU for whom you work and troll. Live with it.

[Hoplite]

Nah - there's a smattering of dyed in the wool examples over on the crevo threads, so we're around, just not gregarious, I guess.

And since when was my temperment judicial? I've always tried to cultivate one of hostile prolixity. I'll have to work harder on that, I guess.

Er, what I mean to say is: I'll endeavor to moil more assiduously in that direction, you #%*&.

= )

[jb6]

He's telling that to the Poles who are the most recent mouth piece for the French. The French pull their strings and they almost look life like, while spouting off the EUfacist line You see, as a new member they still have some vaneer of not being full EUshills, but that's wearing thin too.

Again, that's the ruling elite, and falls right in place with your new FM kissing frog behind, as I posted the article describing it earlier.

I'm sure it hits close to home for you, but I highly doubt for the average Pole.