Iraq situation at critical time: Polish defense minister

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, April 09, 2004

Iraq situation at critical time: Polish defense minister

Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said Thursday that the situation in Iraq is very complicated at the moment as various parties are scrambling for power.

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Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski said Thursday that the situation in Iraq is very complicated at the moment as various parties are scrambling for power.

He made the remarks in the wake of an overnight exchange of fire between the Polish and Bulgarian soldiers and the Shiite Muslims who attacked them near the city hall in the Iraqi city of Karbala.

The attacks began about 11 p.m. Wednesday and continued until nearly sunrise. Coalition forces suffered no casualties but killednine attackers and wounded an estimated 20 others, according to the spokesman for the Polish troops in Iraq, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Strzelecki.

In an interview with TVN24 television, the Polish defense minister raised doubts that a military solution in Iraq was possible and called for a bigger role for the Iraqi police.

He added however that so far it is too early to come to the conclusion that the coalition forces have lost control of the situation in Iraq.

The polish official said that Poland pledges its help for the Iraqis to establish as soon as possible an interim government to make them take responsibility for their own country.

The commander of the polish force in Iraq had vowed to do his utmost to ensure the safety of the polish soldiers in the face of the critical conditions of Iraq, said the minister.

According to the Polish news agency PAP, the Shiite militia of radical cleric Moqtada Sadr had issued an ultimatum Thursday for occupation forces under polish command to quit Karbala where a major religious celebration is scheduled for this weekend.

Poland commands a 9,000-strong international force in southern Iraq, which includes Bulgarian troops.

Source: Xinhua

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