Polish troops are taking an active part in ongoing military operations in Iraq. This has caused some legal and political problems in Poland, especially because most Poles are against Poland's involvement in the conflict.


Poland has deployed 200 troops to the scene of the conflict. The Polish contingent includes a 36-man decontamination platoon from the 4th Chemical Regiment in Brodnica, Kujawy-Pomerania province; the special commando unit GROM; and the logistic support ship Rear Admiral Xawery Czernicki, with a crew of 53.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld praised the participation of Polish troops in the war on Iraq March 23, saying that Australian, British and Polish troops were on the battlefield together with Americans. They were doing an excellent job and controlling the situation, he said. Rumsfeld's statement suggested that Poles were taking an active part in the ground forces' campaign in Iraq.

On March 24 the world saw photos taken by Reuters news-agency showing Polish commandos from the GROM unit after an operation in the port of Umm Qasr. According to unofficial information, GROM has prevented the destruction of oil supply installations in the port.
Col. Roman Polko, GROM commander in Iraq, has been consulting with the Polish General Staff regarding each order from U.S. commanding officers, says Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdziński. Top officials at the Polish Ministry of Defense also disclosed that there were commandos on board the Xawery Czernicki-divers from the Formoza special navy unit.

The disclosed GROM operation has raised disputes over whether Poland is in a state of war with Iraq and whether Polish involvement in the conflict should be interpreted as active participation in the war or merely as earlier announced logistic support for allied forces.

Polish Foreign Minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz says that everything is taking place according to the law and that Poland is not in a state of war with Iraq. Polish officials argue that the size of the Polish contingent is symbolic and the consent of state authorities other than the government and the president was not needed to send Polish troops to Iraq. Marek Siwiec, head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), admitted that "Poland is participating in the conflict, while 'state of war' is a legal term and Poland has not yet reached such a state."

President Aleksander Kwaśniewski said that the legal basis for the participation of Polish troops in the operation against Iraq and overall military intervention was the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution No. 1441. Kwaśniewski said,
"The legal grounds have been examined and are sufficient for Polish troops to be able to participate in these operations with a clear conscience."

Col. Eugeniusz Mleczak, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, said March 24 that the ministry was considering sending 50 troops-decontamination specialists-to Turkey for six months. However, "the necessity of sending this platoon is not yet certain," he said. "If such a need arises, the Ministry of Defense will submit the relevant request to the Council of Ministers."

The president and Prime Minister Leszek Miller agreed to send the Polish contingent March 18. The decision drew protests from some Polish politicians including the League of Polish Families (LPR), who insist that the participation of Polish troops in the military operation required the permission of the Sejm.

At the same time, Poland sees no reason to close the Iraqi Embassy in Warsaw, as a note sent out by the U.S. Department of State March 20 to 63 countries hosting Iraqi diplomatic missions urged.

Bogusław M. Majewski, press spokesman for the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that "so far, the Americans have not asked Poland to demand the departure of the Iraqi ambassador. Poland has no plans to change the status of the Iraqi diplomatic post in Warsaw at the moment and will take no action with regard to the staffers of this embassy, as along as their activities are in accord with their diplomatic status."

Moreover, Poland treats the Iraqi embassy as more than a representative office of Saddam Hussein's regime. "This post represents first and foremost the nation and the state. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs sees maintaining this post as an important element of maintaining bilateral contact. Poland wants to maintain contact with the Iraqi nation regardless of who rules in Iraq," Majewski said.

The Polish embassy in Iraq was a special mission. For more than 10 years, it represented not only Poland, but also the interests of the United States. This explains why Poland has decided not to close the Iraqi diplomatic mission in Poland. So far, several countries have expelled Iraqi diplomats or asked them to leave. These include Australia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, the Philippines, Romania, Sweden and Thailand.

Polish radio and television stations as well as press agencies have sent several correspondents to the scene of the conflict but only RMF radio station war correspondents, Przemysław Marzec and Jan Mikruta, are staying in Baghdad. Both are reporting on the situation in the Iraqi capital for many other television stations. Several Polish correspondents are stationed in Kuwait, including those from the Polish Radio, TVN, TVP, Polsat, Gazeta Wyborcza and Rzeczpospolita.

Most Poles are against the war. Since the start of the conflict, anti-war demonstrations have been held in many cities in Poland. From March 20-23, around 200 people protested outside the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw each day, demanding an end to the war in Iraq and the withdrawal of Polish support for the conflict.

Instead of the traditional Polish Vernal Equinox celebration of throwing a Marzanna doll in the river, in protest against the military intervention in Iraq, an effigy of George W. Bush-or "Bushanna"-was symbolically drowned in oil on Zamkowy Square March 21. "No one believes that this war is only to overthrow Hussein's regime. This war is about oil and money," said Filip Ilkowski of the Stop the War Association, which organized the protest. "Polish authorities are not interested in the fact that the overwhelming majority of Polish society is against this war. We want to express our opposition with regard to this policy," Ilkowski said.
Protesters have chiefly included young people representing nongovernmental, leftist and pacifist organizations. Representatives of the Polish lobby against integration with the European Union have also participated in demonstrations.

Information:
In connection with the current situation in Iraq, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that the following toll-free information lines have been established:

• Movement of people and consular service (Department for Consular Affairs and Polish Communities Abroad at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) - 0 800 505050
• Situation in the Gulf region (Department for Africa and the Middle East at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) - 0 800 252525
• Poland's internal situation (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration) - 0 800 250250