Poland 'willing to stay in Iraq'

[USAcommitteeX]

BRUSSELS, Belgium (Reuters) -- Poland has vowed not to pull troops out of Iraq because of "terrorist" attacks and said it was willing to remain in command of a stabilisation force there if Spain, which had been due to take over, withdrew.

Spain was due to take command of 9,000 troops in central Iraq on July 1, but that was thrown into doubt on Monday when Socialist Prime Minister-elect Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said he could bring home the Spanish 1,300 troops currently there.

"Revising our positions on Iraq after terrorists attacks would be to admit that terrorists are stronger and that they are right (to pursue attacks)," Prime Minister Leszek Miller told a news conference in the Polish town of Tarnow.

Zapataro's Sunday election victory was attributed in large part to a voter backlash against the previous government's support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq last year.

Many Spaniards blame last week's Madrid train bombings, which killed 200 people, on Spain's backing for the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Poland has 2,400 troops in Iraq and has led a 9,000-strong division of troops from 24 nations in a central-south zone since last September.

"If it is necessary, we will continue leading the multinational division," Polish Ambassador to NATO Jerzy M. Nowak told Reuters in Brussels. "We are prepared for that even if Spain is not able to fulfil its promise."

He said Warsaw would be prepared to stay in command of the division until the end of this year but would probably need NATO support to generate the right forces and provide essential equipment such as communications.

"We probably would again ask NATO for some assistance with force generation," Nowak said.

"The real problem would be what to do with the loss of one of the best troop contingents: 1,300 soldiers of very high class which had specific duties vis-a-vis the small contingents from Central America," he added, referring to troop contributions from Central Honduras, Salvador and the Dominican Republic.