Poland Rules Out More Iraq Troops

Poland has ruled out sending more troops to Iraq, outgoing Prime Minister Lezsek Miller said today.

"We rule out increasing our (Iraq) contingent," Miller told Polish public radio.

"The government plans rather to decrease rather than increase the contingent," he said.

Poland commands a 9,000-strong multinational force in southern Iraq, which includes some 2,500 of its own troops.

The government of Bulgaria has come under pressure to pull out its 480 troops, who are stationed in Karbala in the Polish force, since five died in multiple car-bombings in the city on December 27.

Families of the Bulgarian soldiers have formed a committee to press for their return after four were injured in the heavy fighting that erupted across Iraq between US-led forces and radical Muslims and a Shiite militia issued an ultimatum for the Bulgarians to leave.

On Sunday Spanish Socialist party secretary Jose Blanco also said the new Madrid government, expected to take office later this week under Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez, would stick by its election pledge to withdraw Spanish troops from the Polish-led force, by the end of June if there is no UN mandate.

In December Polish President Aleksander Kwasnieski said Poland wanted a "progressive disengagement" of its forces from 2005 and called for a UN or NATO commitment in Iraq.

Miller has said that he will resign as prime minister on May 2, a day after Poland joins the European Union.