Polish defense minister: New gov't wants to leave Iraq in '08
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Poland's new defense minister on Saturday stressed that Prime Minister Donald Tusk's new government wants to end the country's military mission in Iraq next year.
But President Lech Kaczynski, who is the supreme commander of Poland's armed forces and has the final say on military missions abroad, has warned against a quick withdrawal, pointing to the "dangerous" situation in neighboring Iran.
Bogdan Klich, sworn in as defense minister on Friday along with the rest of Tusk's Cabinet, underlined on Saturday the new government's determination to bring home the approximately 900 Polish troops currently stationed in Iraq.
In the government's first comments on Iraq since he was sworn in, Klich said on state radio 1, "I can confirm that next year, in 2008, the Polish military contingent in Iraq will be withdrawn."