Alleviation for US in Iraq

By Clare Murphy
BBC News Online

Poland is taking charge of a 9,000-strong international peacekeeping mission in Iraq, patrolling the vast swathes of territory between Baghdad and Basra.

Snubbed by key powers like India - which insisted a UN mandate would have to be secured before it would commit anything like the number of troops Washington was after, the US is currently having to rely on a force which will primarily consist of Polish, Dutch, Ukrainian, Spanish, Italian and Thai troops.

The US has got itself in a bind in Iraq Laurence Korb Council on Foreign Relations

A total of 30 countries - including some of the world's poorer states from the former eastern bloc - glowingly referred to in Washington as "New Europe" - and Latin America - are participating in this unprecedented mission, although many are simply providing limited logistical support.

It is the largest mission of its kind to take place without United Nations co-ordination or central Nato command, and as such, is seen as a major challenge for Poland, a relatively new Nato member and a close ally of America keen to prove its worth.

Money matters

The advantages of the multi-national force from the perspective of the Americans are seen as multiple.

"The US has got itself in a bind in Iraq," says Laurence Korb, an analyst who served as assistant secretary of defence in the Reagan administration.

"It badly underestimated the cost of reconstructing the country and the number of casualties there would be."

Nations participating Albania Azerbaijan Bulgaria Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic Estonia El Salvador Georgia Honduras Hungary Italy Japan Kazakhstan Latvia Lithuania FYR Macedonia Mongolia Netherlands Nicaragua Norway Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia South Korea Spain UK Ukraine

The mission will not however be cost-free for the Americans, as some of the countries involved are unable to pay for their contributions.

A deal has been agreed under which the US will pay about $200m in support costs - such as meals and medical care - and about $40m to airlift the troops to Iraq in the first place.

But the key cost - that of paying the troops' wages - will not be footed by the US, alleviating a significant portion of its present expenditure in the country.

And while the area has not witnessed the kind of fatal attacks against US soldiers seen in and around Baghdad, the holy city of Najaf was the scene of a massive car bomb last week which claimed more than 120 lives.

The US marines who have been responsible for central Iraq over the last several months will stay in the city for at least two more weeks.

It is widely believed Washington will be relieved to pull its men out of any danger as the steady number of deaths, while not yet causing uproar at home, are nevertheless better avoided.

Keeping the peace

Practical issues aside, the establishment of the force had initially also been designed to enable the Americans to internationalise the occupation of Iraq without relinquishing control.

Officials believe Poland will not respond well to body bags

Following the open battle with the United Nations over the war, the US had appeared reluctant to seek a resolution from the world body mandating a peacekeeping mission.

However, recent attacks - like that in Najaf and the deadly blast at the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad last month have highlighted the immense difficulties of occupying Iraq.

In the light of this, US officials have indicated that Washington will seek a new UN Security Council resolution to expand the UN mandate in Iraq, making it easier for more countries to participate in a stabilisation force.

It is thought the UN will be offered a more significant role in reconstructing the country in return for agreeing to the mandate, but any restructured multinational force will remain under US command - and it remains unclear whether countries like France and Russia will accept that.

Concerns have already been raised about the capabilities of the force which is taking over in central Iraq.

Ukraine, which is contributing nearly 2,000 peacekeepers to Iraq, got off to an inauspicious start after sacking two generals for failing to prepare the men adequately.

There are also serious issues on the domestic front for those countries involved. In Poland, there is high anxiety about the prospect of body bags being brought home.

"That's the big concern," says Pitor Paciorkiewicz of the government-funded Centre for Eastern Studies.

"The government has decided that to help America is in Poland's best interests, although support is not widespread. It is likely to fall much further if Poles die."