Other Nations’ Help in Rebuilding Iraq
“Share Iraq Burden, Quickly” (editorial, Aug. 14) rightly speaks of the need to share the burden of providing security and reconstruction in Iraq. Not mentioned, however, is the fact that some 11,000 United Kingdom servicemen and women remain in the Gulf and, with forces from other countries, are making a vital contribution to stability in Basra and much of Iraq’s southern tier. The U.K. Third Division forms the headquarters for the Multi-National Division (South East) and has forces under command from Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Romania, Czech Republic, Norway, Portugal and New Zealand. The non-U.K. forces will eventually total some 5,500 personnel.
This is not without cost. On Aug. 14, a British military ambulance clearly marked with a red cross was attacked with a remote-controlled explosive device. One British soldier was killed and two others injured. Despite this senseless attack by people associated with a tiny minority opposed to peace, British and other international forces will continue to maintain security and deliver vital humanitarian supplies in southern Iraq while working with the newly formed Governing Council and preparing ultimately to hand [power] over to an elected government as soon as possible.
Angus Mackay
Vice Consul, Public Affairs
British Consulate
Los Angeles
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Oh, sure. First we tell the nations of the world that we’re going to start a war that they oppose and it doesn’t matter what they think, then we insult them, then we insult their peacemaking institutions like the United Nations (irrelevant), then we make up bogus data to justify the war and then we actually do go to war. Now that we’re in trouble in Iraq (not to mention Afghanistan), we think the U.N. is very relevant to getting us out of there before the next presidential election. Now we want to ask the nations of the U.N. to “share” the burden that we unilaterally created. Now we want the soldiers of the world to get shot. Ha, ha, ha. And The Times agrees with that nonsense!
Steve Synnott
La Canada Flintridge
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