April 19, 2004

Portugal to Withdraw If Iraq Violence Worsens

Portugal will consider pulling its peacekeeping police out of Iraq if the fighting there worsens, the country's interior minister said Friday.

"If, speaking theoretically, the conflict deepens and the police cannot carry out their mission, they will have to withdraw," Antonio Figueiredo Lopes said in an interview with the public radio station Antena 1.

Portugal has 128 police officers on peacekeeping duty in Nasiriyah in southern Iraq.

I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't know that Portugal was part of our Coalition...
I must be listening to J. F'ing Kerry too much and his talk about our "unilateralism," to the point that I'm believing it myself.
Anyhoo, we appreciate Portugal's contribution and hope they'll keep their soldiers participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom!