Officials from the US, Britain and eight allies as diverse as Ukraine and Honduras will meet in London tomorrow to carve Iraq into zones of control before the deployment of a multinational stabilization force.
Initial plans suggest that Britain will head a multinational brigade in southern Iraq that would include troops from Spain and Latin America.
US troops would control Baghdad, and Poland would be responsible for the north, in command of Danish and possibly German contingents, according to Polish officials. They have also said a fourth zone might be added, but it is unclear which nation would run it.
As negotiations over the stabilization force continued in Washington yesterday, US President George W. Bush appointed a new civilian administrator for Iraq. Paul Bremer, a diplomat specializing in counter-terrorism, will be in charge of the Pentagon's envoy for reconstruction and humanitarian assistance, said Jay Garner, a former general.
Spanish Defense Minister Federico Trillo said 1,500 of his country's troops would operate in the British area that he defined as "zone 4 south."
Spanish defense officials said tomorrow's meeting would include Spain, Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Honduras, to discuss the composition of the stabilization force which would keep the peace during the transition to a new government.
Polish Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz has said a final meeting to decide the make-up of the force will take place in Warsaw on May 22.
"The idea is to have all the countries ready to engage there by the end of this month," Cimoszewicz said.
After meeting US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington yesterday, he urged Germany and other European states to contribute to Iraq's stabilization and reconstruction.
Spanish newspapers quoted defense ministry officials yesterday saying that Honduras and Nicaragua had offered troops for the "Spanish brigade" only if Spain paid for them. Chile and Argentina said they would take part in a UN force only, the reports said.
The diversity of the nations meeting in London reflects the difficulties Washington has faced trying to gain support for its occupation of postwar Iraq. Few countries with experience in the Middle East are on board, and no Islamic countries are represented.
Most of the willing are relatively impoverished states eager to enhance their relationship with the US but unable to pay their way.
Cimoszewicz was in Washington yesterday to discuss the Polish contribution. Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said he had received an assurance from US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld that the US would help raise money from international donors to cover the cost of about 1,500 Polish troops and a headquarters staff. Szmajdzinski estimated the cost at US$50 million for six months.
Poland's Deputy Defense Minister Janusz Zemke, said that the Polish troops would be initially stationed in Iraq for a year and then rotated every six months.
He said they would play an important role protecting energy facilities, telecommunication hubs and transport arteries. Troops from a chemical defense regiment have already been mobilized and are expected to leave for Iraq soon.
Zemke said that up to 11 European countries had expressed an interest in taking part. "We are also getting signs that certain Asian countries, for example India, Pakistan and the Philippines, would be prepared to send troops," Zemke said.
Spain has stated that it does not want to have to intervene in demonstrations. "We want somewhere that is as calm as possible," said a government official quoted by El Mundo newspaper yesterday.
"The troops will form part of the new integrated division in the British south," Trillo said. He described the job of those taking part in the stabilization force as "guaranteeing security and order on the streets and the ensuring the [peaceful] coexistence of the people."
Szmajdzinski told the Washington Times his country expected Iraq to be divided into three of four districts. It wanted one district to be the responsibility of 7,000 soldiers from various countries led by Poland.
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a