We will take Iraqi interpreters, says Polish defense minister

thenews.pl ^ | Saturday, August 11. 2007

[lizol]

We will take Iraqi interpreters, says Polish defense minister

Created: Saturday, August 11. 2007

In an interview with Polish Radio this morning, Polish defense minister, Aleksander Szczyglo, said that the government would be happy to give safe sanctuary to Iraqis who worked for the Polish army.

He also said that a decision as to how long Polish troops would remain in Iraq would be taken in the autumn.

This week the UK government announced that it was reviewing its policy of not giving asylum to Iraqis working for the coalition forces.

The U.S. government is offering 1,000 special immigration visas over the next two years for Iraqis and Afghans working with American forces.

[caltrop]

Good for the Poles. I certainly hope we’re prepared to do the same.

[lizol]

Eastern European ping list

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[nuconvert]

“An Iraqi Interpreter’s Story”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1877650/posts

[CremeSaver]

This is really good news. I wrote to my congresscritter about this after reading it in the British press. I was appalled that after helping the British military that they were about to be abandoned by the British government. (To the credit of the British people, the comments at the end of the article indicated that they felt the same way.)

Way to go Poland.

[ken21]

light a candle.

[the Real fifi]

We aren’t. We have been treating them horribly..even denying them translating jobs in DHS, DoD etc because they aren’t citizens. In one case I know of they forced an engineer working on a defense contract to stop dating one of the female translators we allowed in. It’s stupid and an outrage.

[caltrop]

I suspected as much. Early in our occupation two soldiers from the Florida National Guard brought home Iraqi war brides (physicians, IIRC) and the outraged shrieking from some of the war’s prominent FR cheerleaders was deafening. Disgraceful is putting it mildly.

[DemEater]

I hope we don’t give our interpreters permanent status. We can take them in until things shape up in Iraq then they should go back. That is, when they aren’t in jeopardy. We are making their country free. They can go back to help complete the job when it is safe for them.

[caltrop]

While I believe we should have an immigration time out for a few years, the Iraqis who've worked with us should be an exception. Having put their lives at perhaps permanent risk to assist us we owe it to them and their families. If Iraq is ever safe they can go back as US citizens.

There is, after all, some precedent for this in the Middle East as some would suggest half of Israel's permanent residents vote absentee in US elections.

[interpreter]

what did the iraqi translators who leave with the polish troops had, nothing , and no one care about them in poland
they are wait the death time with thier poor children,when the refugee program ending becouse they havnt more than refugee program ,one question ,who is respossible about those children no body know all the world dont know but all the world intresting about what is the color of mickhel jackson underwear when he died