Poland 'Misled' on Iraq, President Says
By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA, Associated Press Writer
WARSAW, Poland - Poland's president, a key Washington ally in Europe, said Thursday his country was "misled" about the threat of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s weapons of mass destruction, and added he may withdraw troops early if Iraq (news - web sites) is stabilized.
At the same time, President Aleksander Kwasniewski defended the U.S.-led invasion that ousted Saddam, saying it "made sense."
Referring to prewar Western intelligence assessments of Saddam's arsenal, he told a news conference: "From the information that we have, the word 'misled' seems to me the right word. This is the problem of the United States, of Britain and also of many other nations."
"We were informed that weapons of mass destruction are in Iraq, that there is a probability of the existence of such weapons," he said. "Today, this information is not confirmed."
Kwasniewski's remarks to a small group of European reporters were his first hint of criticism about war in Iraq, where Poland has 2,400 troops and commands one of three sectors of the U.S.-led occupation. The United States and Britain command the other two.
The 9,500-strong multinational force under Polish authority in south-central Iraq includes 1,300 Spanish troops. Spain's new government, elected in the wake of Madrid's worst terror attack, has said it will withdraw troops from Iraq by June 30 unless the United Nations (news - web sites) takes control of peacekeeping.
Kwasniewski, speaking after a meeting of his top security officials to discuss Poland's response to the Madrid railway bombings, said he will urge Spain to reconsider.
He also emphasized that Poland is not about to abandon its mission in Iraq, despite his shift in tone on the question of weapons of mass destruction.
"Naturally, one may protest the reasons for the war action in Iraq. I personally think that today, Iraq without Saddam Hussein is a truly better Iraq than with Saddam Hussein," Kwasniewski told the European reporters.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said Washington does not believe Poland is wavering. "We have no reason to have any, sort of, questions or doubts about Poland's steadfast support of the mission in Iraq," Ereli said.
President Bush (news - web sites), in the chow line with troops at Fort Campbell, Ky., after delivering a speech, was asked about Kwasniewski's remarks but shook his head and said, "I'm here to eat."
Earlier in the day, Kwasniewski said Poland may start withdrawing its troops from Iraq early next year, months earlier than the previously stated date of mid-2005. He cited progress toward stabilizing Iraq.
"Everything suggests that pullout from Iraq may be possible after the stabilization mission is crowned with success and, in my assessment soon, it may be the start of 2005," Kwasniewski told RMF-FM radio.
Kwasniewski noted that Iraq now has an interim constitution and said should soon have an interim government that will allow current forces to be replaced by peacekeepers.
But he insisted that Poland's possible early withdrawal would not be prompted by fears of terror attacks or reprisals against his country for its role in Iraq.
"We are facing the same threat as Spain," Kwasniewski said, but "terrorism must be combatted, also with force."
"Spain is a very important partner in Iraq and I will try to persuade my Spanish friends to continue the mission because this is our joint goal, our plan for Iraq, that should be continued," he told the news conference.
Though Kwasniewski is a key Bush ally, support for the military presence in Iraq has been far from overwhelming among Poles. A poll last week found 42 percent of adults in favor and 53 percent opposed. The CBOS survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Top