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Europe
NATO OKs Plans to Help Poland in Iraq
2003-06-03
NATO allies approved plans Monday to give logistical and intelligence support to a Polish-led force that will help U.S. soldiers police central Iraq, diplomatic sources said. The NATO support for the multinational force of 7,000 to be assembled by Poland would be the alliance's first involvement in postwar Iraq.
Is this a back door for the French?
The U.S.-led war caused deep divisions within the alliance, especially with France, Germany and Belgium which opposed the U.S.-led war and caused the deepest rift in the alliance in years. All three countries, however, reportedly backed the postwar commitment for Iraq. The force will be deploy in central Iraq by August, the sources said. NATO will provide communications, transport, intelligence and other logistical help to the peacekeeping group.
All of them support functions, with the occasional exception of intel. They should't get in the way...
The decision by the 19 allied governments to help equip the force came on the eve of a foreign ministers' meeting in Madrid on the alliance's anti-terrorism role. Poland is considering sending between 1,500 and 2,200 troops, or two battalions and a command structure, but it needs troops from other nations to complete the force. Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma asked parliament Monday to approve sending up to 1,700 troops, a Ukrainian official said.
But no planes, okay Leonid?
NATO is also to take charge of the international peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan in August. ``NATO is now squarely on the front lines in the global war on terror,'' Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to NATO said last week in Brussels. ``The U.S. enthusiastically endorses this new NATO emphasis on confronting ... terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.''
Meaning they're actually going to use some of those troops, rather than stand around and compare hats. That'll be a nice change. Only the Americans, Brits and Frenchies have actually fired shots in anger in recent years, with the exception of a few peacekeepers, so it will be good for the rest of Europe to get some live experience...
NATO's regular spring meeting follows trans-Atlantic bridge building at summits in Russia and France and a weekend appeal from President Bush for the alliance to unite against terrorism. Bush's continuing foreign tour, however, will keep Secretary of State Colin Powell away from the NATO meeting as he accompanies the president's peace mission to the Middle East. Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman will represent the United States at the NATO meeting, which will also include talks with ministers from Russia, Ukraine and other former Soviet and non-NATO European nations. NATO ministers will review preparations for the alliance mission in Kabul which starts Aug. 11, diplomats said.
Posted by:Steve White

#1  not sure they'll get much live fire experience - most of the residual violence has been in the Sunni Arab areas north and west of Baghdad, which will remain in the hands of the 4th ID, the 1st AD, and, for the time being, the 3rd ID. The Poles and other Nato troops will be in the Shiite zone, which is politically hot, but not particularly violent thus far.

However by taking control of turf, they should relieve US troops. Not sure who will come out first, 3rd or Marines. 3rd has been over there for a long time, longer than Marines, but Pentagon cant be happy having Marines in occupation role, traditionally reserved to Army.

Note also the French are sending some Spec forces to Afghanistan.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2003-06-03 10:39:29  

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