Norway planning immediate pullout from Iraq

[cliss]

Thursday, April 22, 2004
Source: Aftonbladet, Swedish daily newspaper.
*note: this article is in Swedish. Translated by CLiss
http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/nyheter/story/0,2789,466414,00.html

Norway leaves Iraq ahead of Schedule.

"The plan is to finish the entire assignment". Currently, the entire company is planning to go home - 2 months ahead of the planned departure time.

There will not be an extension. Afghanistan is more important, says the government in Oslo.

The goal is to finish the entire assignment, says Lieutenant Tore Idsöe with the Norwegian Defense Department to NTB on Wednesday. The Norwegian Foreign minister Jan Petersen underscored. "I see no other choice than that of pulling out our engineer troops from Iraq. I regret that there are no good reasons for keeping them there. But it's also important that Norway does a good job in Afghanistan. This is the highest priority, said Petersen after a government meeting at the Stortinget on Wednesday.

<snip> The security reasons make it very difficult for the Norwegian troops, who are not equipped to fight in heavy combat.
...more...

-----------
That's probably the real reason: lack of security. Mark another country down as abandoning this hare-brained scheme.

[w13rd0]

1. Or it could be...

...that many of these nations realize that they should get Afghanistan right, rather than participate in Bush's frickin sham.

[rockymountaindem]

2. Dammit...

I saw this shirt once that said "Norway, the home of skiing".

Now I can't ski anymore. My patriotism won't allow me to now.

On edit: Karl Rove must be pissed that his ancestral homeland is abandoning him.

[struggle4progress]

9. Aw, just call it "freedoming" and do it anyway. eom.

[saigon68]

10. Karl Rove's ancestral homeland is Satan's Lair

Evil such as his is not of this world.

[captain_change]

40. Karl Rove = Sonnenkind

Karl Rove was adopted so we really don't know his heritage. But (Tin foil hat time) I believe him and his neo-con pals are the sonnenkind that Robert Ludlum talks about in his books. Their age and temperament seems about right

[KurtNilsen]

34. Did you know that Ashcroft also has Norwegian roots?

Great exports :-)

[leesa]

43. No more lutefisk either! Damn!

[NMDemDist2]

3. can you say "Crumbling Coalition" ?

I knew you could! :bounce:

[chasqui]

18. Can you say "Coalition of the Coerced"?

:wtf:

[uhhuh]

28. Or

Coalition of the wobbling.

[KurtNilsen]

32. Norway decided to participate in Iraq after the UN passed a resolution

urging countries to contribute troops to the stabilisation force.

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. What a laugh

the coalition of the willing. Just one more bush policy failure.

[DarkPhenyx]

5. Most of them have already cashed the check.

Amazing how quickly you become unwilling when you have been paid in advance.

[NNN0LHI]

6. The middle class taxpayer has deep pockets so no problem for Bush n/t

[DarkPhenyx]

7. Yeah, but we've already bought off everyone we could.

Bullying the rest is only going to get us so far too.

[InflateableLove]

17. So Norway just did it for the money?

Should we not give them some grief and anger for just doing it for the money?

[alcuno]

24. Welcome to DU, InflateableLove.

They signed up to reconstruct the country, not to tear it apart and be used for target practice. More American tax dollars down the tube.

[InflateableLove]

25. The post I responed to said it was for the money

I agree with you but why don't you question the poster that said Norway did it for the money?

[alcuno]

8. Once again, I'm confused.

"The plan is to finish the entire assignment." and "planning to go home two months ahead of the planned departure time."

Is it just me or are these contradictory statements?

[cliss]

13. Alcuno, sorry. I just translated the article

from Swedish to English. I wanted to be as accurate as I could & not distort anything. Will go back and check.

Also, the article never said how many Norwegian troops were in Iraq.
------

OK, I double-checked the sentence and here's what it says, "The plan is to END the entire assignment".

I have to assume here they mean they are going to end it prematurely, rather than finish the assignment at June 30, or whenever they were scheduled to go home. Sorry: the Swedish word is "sluta" and it means both 'finish' and 'end'.

[alcuno]

21. Thanks. I'm impressed!

Go with God, Norway.

[T Bone]

15. alcuno, I take that to mean they will finish the assignment ahead of the

time-table allotted for it.

it's like they will be done early, so why stick around for all the flower throwing that is currently in progress.

[hatrack]

11. So is lutefisk now "Freedom Fish"? nt

.

[alcuno]

22. You people are like a never-ending look at The Daily Show.

"freedom fish."

[bloom]

12. It's good to see that some countries are capable

of making reasoned decisions, even if we can't. It gives me hope, somehow.

[Just Me]

14. Buh-Bye!!!

Sorry that you wastefully invested into this neonazicon shit.

I know you didn't do it on purpose.

How could you have known the neonazicon ambition?

It's not your fault.

You were betrayed,...join the rest of us who are awake and help us all awaken those still asleep.

[pacifictiger]

16. maybe they will all start cooperating

with the US again after there is an adult like Kerry to talk to - to try to solve this mess .

[KurtNilsen]

35. I think it will help immensly.

Hopefully Norwegian soldiers can return if invited by an elected Iraqi body.

[Iceburg]

39. There were no Norwegian combat soldiers in Iraq

they were engineers.

[freeforall]

19. I guess Bush's bribe money has run out

The doors are slamming shut against him everywhere.

I think most nations that were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt are seeing how loony he is, and don't want to be judged by the company they keep any longer.

[Nordic65]

23. No public support...

As Norway is arguably the richest nation on earth (in relative terms that is) it's definitely not a question of money.

There is simply, as in most other civilized nations, just no public support. The government tried to spin it as humanitarian aid (under US military command). Obviously not a convincing argument.

[KurtNilsen]

30. Are you Norwegian?

:hi:

[DoktorGreg]

33. I dont even this this is that far out...

Why Norway left, and why every one will leave is simple. Bush lied about the war in the first place. There seems, by ANY measure, something nefarious going on in Whitehouse now days. The war is going extremely bad, everyone is in shock and confused by how bad it is. Seems to be nothing to gain by staying, and nothing to lose by leaving.

England will be "cut(ting) and run(ning)" by June 30th also.

[KurtNilsen]

36. No way England will leave. Over Blair's dead body

[Nihil]

42. Hmmm ...

(No, I think there's something in the rules isn't there ...?)

[KurtNilsen]

44. What do you mean?

[Pale_Rider]

20. Hey, BTW, weren't we suppose to rebuild ...

... Afghanistan?

[Gloria]

26. Well, there goes Holbrooke's idea as expressed on Charlie Rose

a few months back..."NO BLUE HELMETS" he said, because the UN is heartily disliked and not trusted....put international personnel under the aegis of a country like Norway...the Iraqis have had a good relationship with Norway....


Well, there goes that idea!!!!

[Dr Fate]

27. "Afghanistan is more important..."

At least some world leaders get that...

[Stockholm]

29. Hey a fellow Swede...

Just one thing. Did not the article cite the Foreign minister saying "There are good reasons for keeping them there but...."

[KurtNilsen]

31. Yes I think he did...

It is odd, because a few weeks ago after having visited the troops. Jan Peteresen sais he was impressed with the job the soldiers were doing in Iraq.

The recent upsurge in violence probably played a part.

[Stockholm]

37. And domestic politics of course....

But I wonder how this early withdrawal will play in the US. Sweden who are not taking part in Iraq are like Norway committed to the work in Afghanistan. This commitment to Afghanistan was something the Foreign Minister stressed during the hearing.

[KurtNilsen]

38. I think Norway-US relations will be quite good anyways.

But, I am sure that everyone in the foreign deparment, including our Conservative FM, is praying for a Kerry victory this fall.

Public opinion has not been as hostile as in Spain. If I remember the latest poll correctly it was something like 60/40 against with women being very opposed, and men actually slightly in favour.

I am in favour btw.

I guess it is a macho thing :-)

[Ganja Ninja]

41. The neo-cons must be getting pretty use to wearing ...

that egg on their faces by now. This is almost laughable the way it's coming apart at the seams. For the first time I think we may be run out of Iraq even before the election.

[truthspeaker]

45. thanks for translating!

[rocktivity]

46. What's Norwegian for

"No greedy lying crook is going to get ME voted unto an unemployment line! HASTA LA VISTA, MORAN!!!"

:headbang:
rocknation