(US appointed) Iraqi President Asks NATO for More Help

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040914/ap_on_re_eu/nato_eu_iraq&cid=518&ncid=1480

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Iraq (news - web sites)'s interim President Ghazi al-Yawer asked NATO (news - web sites) on Tuesday for additional help in military training as part of the efforts to rebuild his country.

In a separate meeting with European Union (news - web sites) foreign policy representative Javier Solana, al-Yawer asked for help training police officers, possibly outside of Iraq. The EU has been hesitant about sending aid workers to Baghdad because of Iraq's poor security situation.


Al-Yawer said he asked for "more (NATO) involvement in training, expertise and increasing capacity of training" in a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and the alliance's 26 ambassadors. "I heard a lot of words of support," he said.


NATO said the alliance hoped to make a quick decision on more training for the Iraqi military. It is expected to decide Wednesday on how it will enlarge the mission launched last month with about 40 NATO soldiers involved in training Iraqi officers in Baghdad.

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[NewYorkerfromMass]

1. because Bush couldn't have asked NATO himself

Hey al-Yawer, thanks for pointing out the obvious- Bush has left Iraq a MESS!

[0007]

2. What happened to "We'll go it alone"

Now John Negroponte is nudging Allawi to call on NATO?

"NATO should speedily further implement this decision of training," he said. "It is of course urgent that the Iraqi government ... can take the responsibility of safety and security in their own hands."

The next one is a could gasser!

"NATO could also offer technical assistance in areas such as border protection and surveillance of Iraq's narrow coastline, or it could provide protection for a U.N. mission before elections planned for January."

An election in January? Same as you won't see John Negroponte riding a camel.

[krkaufman]

3. I'd like to see NATO offer help

... qualified by only doing so if Bush and Cheney are removed from office.

edit: (If the Iraqi government can decide when, where and how our soldiers fight in Iraq, then I don't have a problem with NATO trying to clue-in the American public.)

[0007]

5. I concur 100%

[Vladhere]

4. another U.N. lie

all this time the U.n. envoy's to Iraq, Brahimi, has been telling the world he certified the interim government. Who woulda thunked it?

[2Design]

6. he has no more power than our appointed president