Britain Pledges Troops, Others Hesitate on Iraq

[kskiska]

LONDON, Sept. 8 -- While Britain announced today it was rushing another 1,200 troops to Iraq, most U.S. allies responded with caution and no firm commitment of money or soldiers to President Bush's call for international assistance.

France and Germany, the two largest European opponents of the war in Iraq, reacted tepidly to Bush's Sunday night speech, according to the Associated Press. A minister in the French government welcomed the president's appeal to the international community but did not indicate how Paris would respond. Germany said it was considering several options, including training Iraqi soldiers and police, but had no plans to send troops.

British Defense Secretary Geoffrey Hoon announced to the House of Commons he was sending two more battalions to reinforce about 11,000 British troops already attempting to keep order in southern Iraq, although officials stressed the move had been in the works before Bush's plea. But Hoon and his fellow Cabinet member, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, underwent a tough round of cross-examination from critical lawmakers as they sought to justify the additional commitment of soldiers and resources.

"Isn't the simple truth that post-conflict Iraq is a shambles because there was not proper planning in advance?" Conservative Party lawmaker Andrew Mackay demanded of Hoon, while a fellow Tory member of Parliament said the move was "a humiliation" for Prime Minister Tony Blair's government, which had hoped to reduce its military commitment to Iraq.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A45485-2003Sep8.html