Sunday, February 01, 2009

Poland Troops May Leave Chad, Lebanon To Cut Costs

Poland Troops May Leave Chad, Lebanon To Cut Costs
(NSI News Source Info) WARSAW, Poland - February 2, 2009: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Jan. 31 that Poland may withdraw its troops from Chad and Lebanon as part of a 3.9 billion euro cost-cutting plan to help ward off the financial crisis. "We will consider whether it makes sense to continue with certain foreign missions. We will certainly take a decision about Chad and Lebanon this year," he said. The government said on Jan. 27 it is cutting spending by 17 billion zlotys ($5.06 billion) from the 321.221 billion zlotys it had planned to spend this year, in response to the global economic crisis. Poland's current 400-member mission in Chad is the second-largest in the European Union's peacekeeping force after France. Last month Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said the size of its mission could be cut to 300, when the EU's U.N.-approved mandate expires in March and the mission is passed to the world body. Poland also has nearly 500 troops in Lebanon as part of the U.N. peacekeeping force (UNIFIL), which is helping to monitor a cease-fire between Israel and the militia group Hezbollah after a monthlong war in 2006.

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