What was the point?
You know, it's very likely that the only countries willing to send troops to Iraq will be Middle Eastern nations. You know, the ones that think we side unfairly with Israel, the ones who feel we're at war with Islam, the ones just recently convinced we're a nation of sexual degenerates. Those nations.
Think about it. An Egyptian kidnappee was released with an apology.
Here's a neocon's nightmare for you: two, three weeks before the election akk the nations in the region (except Israel, of course) announce they have formed a coalition to take over all the peace-keeping and security duties.
Under the condition that the U.S. military agree to withdraw totally. Keep your contracts, they say to Halliburton, but we'll handle all the security.
No Offers of Troops to Protect U.N. Staff in Iraq
Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 27 (IPS) - The dramatic increase in kidnappings of foreign nationals in Iraq is threatening to undermine the creation of a new multinational security force aimed at protecting U.N. employees and humanitarian workers who are planning to return to the violence-ridden country.
''We have had no concrete offers of troops from any country,'' a U.N. spokesman told IPS.
The United States has so far lobbied several Muslim countries, including Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Yemen and Jordan, seeking troops for the proposed new protection force. But it has apparently hit a brick wall.
…Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations said his government has made it very clear that it would provide troops only on if certain conditions are fulfilled.
''We will not be the first country or the only country to provide troops for the protection force,'' Mansoor Suhail, press counsellor to the Pakistan Mission to the United Nations, told IPS.
''Firstly, the request has to come from the interim Iraqi government. Secondly, that request has to be endorsed by the United Nations, and thirdly, we will go into Iraq only as part of a collective Islamic international force -- not as a single military force.''
According to Annan, ''there is a move, an indication that Islamic countries may want to go to Iraq, may want to send troops and in fact the Iraqi Prime Minister (Iyad) Allawi, is asking them to do so.''
''If that were to happen and a group of Islamic states were to deploy, I hope Pakistan would be one of them,'' he added.
Last month, Jordan's King Abdullah was quoted as saying his country might become the first Arab state to send troops to Iraq. Jordan may be obliged to do so because it receives over 300 million dollars in U.S. military aid annually.
Yemen has said it is willing to send troops ''only if they were part of a U.N.-controlled force.'' But neither of the countries has made a concrete offer so far.
