Polish govt criticised for Iraq troops decision

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=167294466&p=y67z95y7z

Polish govt criticised for Iraq troops decision


Politicians from the left and right today criticised new Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz’s decision to extend Poland’s military mission in Iraq.

Marcinkiewicz announced yesterday that his conservative minority government had asked President Lech Kaczynski to keep Polish troops in Iraq for another year, reversing plans by the previous government to bring them home in January.

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“This decision overstretches Poles’ patience,” former Defence Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski was quoted as saying.

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The left-leaning daily newspaper Trybuna said Marcinkiewicz’s Cabinet was “driven by servility toward the USA,” and warned that the decision increases threats to Poland and weakens its position in the European Union.