Hungary eyed to train Saddam foes

Iraq's opposition says training is imminent

By Nick Thorpe BBC correspondent in Budapest

In Hungary, the authorities have announced that they have received an official request from the US Government for permission to use a US-run air base in the south of the country to train Iraqis for a possible war in their country.

The exact nature of the training is not clear but stress has been laid on interpreting and administrative, rather than military, skills.

American soldiers are training hard in Kuwait

Rumours of an informal approach by the United States to the Hungarian Government began circling last month.

Last week, the Hungarian Defence Minister, Ferenc Juhasz, toured towns and villages around the air base at Taszar in southern Hungary and held meetings with local officials.

The mayors were told that the training of up to 4,500 Iraqis was under discussion in two waves, lasting one to two months and possibly starting in January.

On Tuesday, a letter from Donald Rumsfeld, the US secretary of defence, was handed to the Hungarian Government.

There has been no official Hungarian reaction yet.

Safety concerns

Local inhabitants near the base and some opposition politicians have suggested that the training of Iraqis could increase the threat of terrorist attacks in Hungary.

For the plan to be approved, it would need opposition support in parliament, where the government enjoys only a narrow majority.

In Teheran, the leader of the Iraqi National Congress, Ahmed Chalabi, told the Reuters news agency on Monday that US-funded training of a 10,000-strong Iraqi force would begin within weeks.

He also mentioned Hungary as a possible site.

American and Hungarian officials refer to the training of interpreters and civil relations experts.