Another country heard from

Poland was 'misled' over Iraq WMD

Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski says his country was misled about the alleged threat from Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

However he also defended the decision to go to war in Iraq and said he had no plans to withdraw Polish soldiers.

Poland was a strong supporter of the US-led invasion and has the fourth-largest contingent of occupying troops.

The remarks came a week after the Madrid bombings and as public support for Poland's role in Iraq is declining.

"Of course I feel a certain discomfort that we were misled about weapons of mass destruction," Mr Kwasniewski told journalists on Thursday.

He refused to point the finger of blame at either the US or the UK, and insisted the decision to go to war had been the right one.

"Iraq today, without Saddam Hussein, is a much better place than Iraq with Saddam Hussein," the Polish president said.

Poland has been one of Washington's staunchest allies on Iraq.

Warsaw contributed combat troops to the invasion and now commands a 9,500-strong multinational force in central Iraq.

Posted by Prometheus 6 on March 18, 2004 - 8:05pm :: News