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Posted on 03/19/2003 6:37:09 PM PST by matcrazy
WARSAW -- Poland said late on Monday it would send up to 200 soldiers to join a U.S.-led campaign to disarm Saddam Hussein, maintaining its position as bedrock of Eastern European support for Washington in the Iraq crisis.
"We are prepared to use the Polish military contingent to force Iraq to respect UN Security Council Resolution 1441," Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski told a news conference alongside Prime Minister Leszek Miller.
Speaking ahead of a speech by President George W. Bush that set the clock ticking to war, Kwasniewski said the Polish troops would lend logistical support to U.S. forces in the Iraq region for a period limited from March 19 to September 15.
Poland, a NATO member on course to join the European Union on May 1, 2004, has emerged as one of Washington's staunchest supporters in the Iraq crisis.Its declaration came after the PAP news agency said Kwasniewski held a round of telephone calls with counterparts in Eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic's President Vaclav Klaus, Lithuania's Rolandas Paksas, Slovenia's Janez Drnovsek, Slovakia's Rudolf Schuester and Ukraine's Leonid Kuchma.
Poland late in January angered France and Germany when it signed a letter with seven other European countries backing the U.S. hardline stance on Iraq. France and Germany have led European opposition to the U.S. stance in the crisis. Ten other Eastern European countries signed a similar declaration in early February.
Kwasniewski said late on Monday Poland had never backed a military solution to the crisis, but could not be "indifferent" to the non-respect of UN Security Council resolutions. "Our fears come from the existence of arms of mass destruction in Iraq" he said. "We agree with British Prime Minister Tony Blair who said that, in order to keep the peace, you have to fight," he said, saying that his country would back all the peaceful ways to disarm Iraq which would be proposed over the next hours.
Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said that Polish troops already in the Persian Gulf will be redeployed, and a special 72-strong chemical warfare decontamination unit will be sent to the region.
On Monday the three former Soviet Baltic Republics, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, also underlined their backing for the U.S. position.
Last week the Ukraine said it was ready to send to Kuwait a specialized unit ready to fight against the impact of arms of mass destruction.
The Polish Defense Ministry, quoted by the PAP news agency, said that Poland had also opened its air space and territory to passage by U.S. forces.
Poland will deploy a total of 53 sailors, 54 soldiers from the Elit Grom unit and a chemical decontamination unit of 74 soldiers, the Defense Ministry said. Some of them are deployed on the logistical support ship Czarniecki, which is already in the Persian Gulf. (AFP)
Warsaw, March 18 (AFP) - Poland said late on Monday it would send up to 200 soldiers to join a US-led campaign to disarm Saddam Hussein, maintaining its position as bedrock of Eastern European support for Washington in the Iraq crisis.
"we are prepared to use the polish military contingent to force Iraq to respect un security council resolution 1441" Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski told a news conference alongside prime minister Leszek Miller. speaking ahead of a speech by president George W. Bush that set the clock ticking to war, Kwasniewski said the Polish troops would lend logistical support to US forces in the Iraq region for a period limited from March 19 to September 15.
Poland, a NATO member on course to join the European Union on May 1, 2004, has emerged as one of Washington's staunchest supporters in the Iraq crisis.
Its declaration came after the PAP news agency said Kwasniewski held a round of telephone calls with counterparts in Eastern Europe, including the Czech Republic's president Vaclav Klaus, Lithuania's Rolandas Paksas, Slovenia's Janez Drnovsek, Slovakia's Rudolf Schuester and Ukraine's Leonid Kuchma.
Poland late in January angered France and Germany when it signed a letter with seven other european countries backing the us hardline stance on Iraq. France and Germany have led European opposition to the US stance in the crisis. 10 other Eastern European countries signed a similar declaration in early February.
Kwasniewski said late on Monday Poland had never backed a military solution to the crisis, but could not be "indifferent" to the non-respect of un security council resolutions. "our fears come from the existence of arms of mass destruction in iraq" he said. "we agree with British prime minister Tony Blair who said that, in order to keep the peace, you have to fight," he said, saying that his country would back all the peaceful ways to disarm Iraq which would be proposed over the next hours.
Polish defence minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said that Polish troops already in the gulf will be redeployed, and a special 72-strong chemical warfare decontamination unit will be sent to the region.
On Monday the three former Soviet Baltic republics, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, also underlined their backing for the us position. last week the ukraine said it was ready to send to kuwait a specialised unit ready to fight against the impact of arms of mass destruction.
The Polish defence ministry, quoted by the PAP news agency, said that Poland had also opened its air space and territory to passage by us forces. Poland will deploy a total of 53 sailors, 54 soldiers from the elit grom unit and a chemical decontamination unit of 74 soldiers, the defence ministry said. some of them are deployed on the logistical support ship czarniecki, which is already in the gulf.
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Never been to Poland, but was in Yugoslavia when it was communist. What a hell hole. Doubt Poland was any different.
Who would have thought 30 years ago, Polish jokes would be replaced by French jokes. It appears we were way off back them.
God bless these peoples.
Prayers for all freedom fighting soldiers.
I hope all of the Grom professionals will returned home safely to Poland after the war is over.
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