Phillipines to withraw troops ASAP from Iraq

[kevin881]

Reuters

[Scurrilous]

1. Manila: Troop withdrawal as soon as possible

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C4F04B73-3787-4523-97C7-79E8BE890B56.htm

In a sudden reversal of policy, the Philippine government tells Aljazeera it will withdraw its 'humanitarian contingent' from Iraq.


"Hoping to persuade the captors of Filipino truck driver Angelo de la Cruz to not execute their prisoner, and apparently meeting one of their key demands, the Philippines government has promised to withdraw its troops from Iraq.

Philippines Deputy Foreign Minister Rafael Sequis read a statement on Aljazeera addressing the captors.

"We are responding to your request and are to withdraw our humanitarian contingent in Iraq as soon as possible," Sequis said.

Earlier, a purported Iraqi group calling itself the Khalid Ibn al-Walid Brigade threatened to behead de la Cruz by Tuesday unless Manila cave in to their demands."

[wuushew]

2. Sweet...let the coalition crumble

The so called coalition of the willing is just a sick joke anyway.

[kevin881]

4. this will only accellerate....

the taking of hostages. If one group gets its demands, then hostages will be a daily occurance.

This is going to be like the Iran-Hostage situation in 79.

[Placebo]

5. Exactly...

While I agree that the coalition of the willing is a joke, I would never give into terrorist demands under any circumstance.

[SoCalDem]

7. They were scheduled to leave on Aug 20 anyway..

Is it worth keeping 51 non-essential people there as window dressing, and getting that guy killed?? I think tye have already killed the others that they took with him..

Why not spare the guy's life..It's only a month..and they were onlt there in the first place because of extreme pressure from *..

[kevin881]

10. yeah but...

the kidnappers wont see it this way. they will see their methodology as a triumphant success... more hostages will be taken, and soon.

[Medium Baby Jesus]

21. Then maybe we will come to our senses and leave

Never give in to terrorists...... This mantra is always repeated in these situations. Why shouldn't they save the lives of their citizens? It's a no brainer to me.

[Pachamama]

23. Yes, Spain has learned the wisdom and is now a beneficiary...

I'm willing to bet Spain enjoys a wonderful Al-Qaida free future...good for them...we hopefully will have a Terrorist Bu4h-free future...

[Mika]

13. They aren't

"I would never give into terrorist demands under any circumstance."

The uprising Iraqis haven't given in to the US terrorists yet.

[rinsd]

15. Yeaaaa for the kidnappers!

:eyes:

[wuushew]

6. But the hostages won't be from those countries

If anything they we be American and British soilders whose politicans will utimately pay atleast a political price for starting illegal wars every 20-30 years or so. Bush wants to go into Syria and Iran. A bad Iraq situation will either loose him the election or force a sooner and necessary American exit in the next administration.

[Placebo]

9. It's a matter of principle really...

I could care less if they were scheduled to leave in a day, a week, a month or a year, you just don't give into terrorist demands no matter what. I don't think you can take a pragmatist stance on this. And, if they see that you will bend to their demands over this, you probably won't be saving more lives in the long run considering they might accelerate their taking of hostages now that they think they can get what they want.

[wuushew]

11. I believe terrorism should be allowed to burn itself out

like a smoldering fire. The best weapons we have prevent such acts are to improve societies and economies with international aid. This was JFK's approach to containing communism in much of the third world, and for which Bush has cut much funding leaving messes like Afghanistan and Africa.

Making belicose rebuttals to kidnapping threats does not end terrorism as wittnessed for decades in Colombia. An act of violence should be treated as a criminal matter for the civil Iraqi authorities to attend to. Making it the focus of some foreign policy ideology makes no sense.

[Pachamama]

24. AGREED- Good Point...n/t

[FlemingsGhost]

14. I agree, never give into a terrorist.

Perhaps the Arab world feels the same way. Iraqis sure seem to ...

[amber dog democrat]

27. They were looking for an excuse to leave early anyway.

It may save someone's life too.
Hell, I will cut a deal with anyone if they have something I want.
Its about time for us to bug out too.

[Dhalgren]

30. Bush is holding a 150,000 hostages in Iraq

right now and with guns to their heads. Why have we given in to him for four years? Cheney it! Maybe, just maybe, the "terrorists" are people trying to get their country back and this is the best "weapon" they have. When the US does sweeps through an Iraqi city, picking up innocent men, women, and children, what are they doing? They are taking hostages - and they have killed quite a few of them. No, I say stop this crazy shit any way you can. US OUT OF IRAQ _ NOW!!!

[atreides1]

12. "...like the Iran-Hostage situation in 79."

How so. The Iranians took the US Embassy, and held US citizens as hostages, I don't believe they took over and held as hostages any other countries embasssies.

In this situation different insurgent groups are taking hostages, mainly civilian workers, and unless you have access to other information I don't believe that the current Iraqi government is lending its' assistance to those insurgent groups.

So with the exception of the taking of hostages, it's nothing at all like the Iranian-Hostage situation. At least we know that BushCo won't be trading arms for hostages this time around, just ask Nick Berg.

[kevin881]

19. similar...

...in that the hostage taking occured during an election year and had a major impact on how people voted... what I am trying to say, is that since this hostage taking has been a success to the kidnappers... there are likely to be more kidnappings.

Americans being kidnapped in the middle-east, during an election year... very similar in the effect it will have on voters.

[Pachamama]

29. If your argument is similarities and its effect on voters as a result in a

..."regime change" such as the voters after the Iranian US Embassy hostage crisis- then I would argue that the effect is a good thing and will result in voters booting out the lying sack of sh*t occupier of the White House...

Oh, that's right, negotiating with "kidnappers/terrorists" and definitely not by Republicans isn't done ie Iran Contra didn't count?

[zelda7743]

31. If the tables were turned....

And the Iraqis were here occupying us, I'd be doing the same damn thing that the "terrorists" are doing. I think what is being lost in this debate is that the coalition of the willing was not invited into Iraq to do this "humanitarian" work. We're occupying their country. They don't like it. I don't see where pulling troops out of Iraq is caving in to "terrorists."

[Dhalgren]

32. Agreed! 100%!

[Bandit]

17. You mean they aren't now and remember when Reagan/Bush

negotiated to get our hostages released? Sometimes you need to pay the piper and meet their demands. Lives are important.

[Pachamama]

22. Well, if the Terrorists take hostages from each of the coalition of the

..."forced into submission or else you will feel the wrath of the US and get no more economic subsidies et al" and then each of those countries pulls out their troops from Iraq and then they are left alone by the Terrorists and no longer threatened, then maybe they all benefit and only the US with its continuing screwed up foreign policy and policies around the globe will make only our citizens endangered...

Sounds like a good strategy for everyone but us...maybe we need to rethink our strategy?

:think:

[amber dog democrat]

28. I will think twice before i go to the Middle East for a vacation

but how safe are we at home?
Either way Bush is on the way out. That may improve things somewhat.

[patdem]

3. Since they are there on a humanitarian cause and not as combatants

they are exactly correct in pulling out for humanitarian reasons!

[qazplm]

8. It's a bad move

for everyone but the Phillipines (who dont plan on being there any longer).

Great for them if it gets their guy let go, but bad for everyone else because now terrorists will see that hey, sometimes this stuff works, let's try it again.

[Disturbed]

16. A fallacy.

Negotiations are always being done. Are these "terrorists" or "insurgents" or "freedom fighters"?

I believe that allowing this person to be killed for a macho principle would be foolish at best. The US and it's coherts invaded and occupied a sovereign country under false charges. The invasion and Occupation are illegal. War Crimes have been commited by the USA and UK. Iraq is now a colony of the USA. Do the occupied have no right to resist?

[geek tragedy]

18. Further proof that world governments are banking on W losing this fall

If Bush was looking strong, no way does this happen.

[kevin881]

20. so true -nt

[otohara]

25. What A Relief

for his family - 8 kids!

[floda]

26. US praises Philippines' tough stance in hostage crisis

this was from a few hours before, lol

WASHINGTON, July 12 (Xinhuanet) -- The US government welcomes the Philippines' decision not to withdraw its troops from Iraq ahead of the schedule, spokesman of the Statement Department Richard Boucher said here on Monday.

"We applaud President Arroyo's decision not to give in to terrorists and not to agree to an early withdrawal of Filipino forces," Boucher told a news briefing.

He spoke highly of the relations between the United States and the Philippines, noting Philippine President Arroyo and the Philippine people have long been strong and loyal allies in the war against international terrorism.

Boucher also called on the people who kidnapped a Filipino to release the hostage at once, stressing "Kidnapping or murder of innocent civilians is one of the most heinous aspects of terrorism."

The militants, who kidnapped a Filipino truck driver, have demanded Philippine President Gloria Arroyo to pledge to pull out a 51-man Filipino contingent in Iraq by July 20, or risk seeing the Filipino beheaded.

Arroyo has steadfastly rejected the demand.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-07/13/content_1594372.htm

[Robeson]

33. Not surprising at all

They're not pulling out because of this one guy being held hostage. They're pulling out because he is symbollic to the Filipinos of a policy that the majority of the their people are turning against. Everytime his face is shown on TV, the Filipino leadership becomes weaker and weaker because they are going against the will of their people. And it has gotten to the point, they are going to have to bend to the will of their people, or they will be out of a job.

But all this is just symbollic of Bush. He deceitfully goes in to destabalize Saddams regime. The damage he has done is that he has destablized a hell of a lot more than that, by destablizing a lot of governments that are allies of ours. THAT affects national security more than Saddam ever could have. And people who were previously our allies, are now turning against us. Again, destablizing our national security. Its like when you throw a stone in a pond, and the ripples keep going and going. Bush has destablized political structures in the world, that have taken decades to establish and balance, and have taken some of the greatest minds to set up. And like a kid in a sandbox, his administration has knocked one thing down after another without any thought as to the consquences. He leaves a slug trail a mile long. Where do you begin, and where do you end when you talk about the damage this administration has done?

This administration is a case study as to why you don't put neo-con reactionaries in power.

[WillyT]

34. Apparently, Some Governments Actually Listen To Their People !!!

And...



Wish ours had\did\will... whatever.

:shrug:

[daleo]

35. Bush won't give into terrorists

Well, he miiiight just re-schedule the election, but that shouldn't count. And he miiiight just curtail civil rights, habeas corpus, and free speech, but that shouldn't count either. And he miiight bring back the use of torture as an instrument of interrogation, but that shouldn't count either. The important thing is, he doesn't let terrorists affect U.S. government policy.

[uhhuh]

36. You forgot

That American bases were removed from Saudi Arabia. Just like Bin Laden was asking for.