Hungarian Troops to Depart Iraq in March
Hungary will withdraw its 300 troops from Iraq by the end of March, government officials said Wednesday.
Hungary is the first of the new European Union states that had joined the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq to announce a formal withdrawal date, although the mandate of the troops, who form a transport battalion, had been due to expire at year’s end. The new withdrawal date will require a two-thirds majority vote in parliament.
“Our ability to carry the financial burden is limited, and the public’s willingness to put up with it is also limited,” Defense Minister Ferenc Juhasz said at a news conference.
Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, who replaced Peter Medgyessy in August, said, “To stay there until elections are completed is an obligation; to stay there for much longer is an impossibility. Therefore, we will bring our soldiers back from Iraq by March 31, 2005.” He was referring to Iraqi elections scheduled for January.
Bulgaria said Wednesday that it would cut its small troop presence in Iraq by more than 10% next month because of a reduction in its expected duties.
Poland has said it will scale down its 2,400-strong presence early next year.
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