Polish Peacekeeping Proposal Riles Berlin

"Considering that we haven't even discussed it with a single word before," German Defense Minister Peter Struck said the suggestion was "a complete surprise to the German government," and showed irritation that his Polish counterpart had floated the idea in the American press.

Speaking to The Washington Times on Tuesday, Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski had suggested that the joint Polish-German-Danish NATO corps stationed in northwestern Poland since 1999 could be used for a "stabilization force" in Iraq.

Denmark, which is sending soldiers and paramedics as part of a multinational stabilization force in Iraq under British command, did not comment on the suggestion.

'Structure in place'

"A commando structure is already in place" for the peacekeeping operation in Iraq, Szmajdzinkski told the Post. "We would like to have German troops." The Polish defense minister said he was convinced that Washington would be interested in such a proposal, despite strained relations with Berlin.

The joint Polish-German-Danish NATO corps in Szczecin, Poland, has a current force of 130 soldiers with German and Danish soldiers making up the lion’s share of the officers. It is widely believed that the multinational corps is the only one in the country that is capable of tackling a daunting military operation such as commanding an occupied zone in Iraq.

Poland -- a future EU member, which sent a small contingent of troops to fight in the U.S.-led war in Iraq -- has been assigned by the U.S. to control postwar Iraq's northern sector. However, a government speaker said late Tuesday that Poland would need a U.N. Security Council mandate to take part in any U.S.-organized peacekeeping mission.

The U.S. plan foresees dividing Iraq into three administrative sectors and inviting troops from various nations to form peacekeeping forces to secure its reconstruction. Germany, France and Russia, strong opponents of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, have pointedly been kept out of discussions in Washington on the shape of the international stabilization force in Iraq.

German dilemma

For its part, Berlin has ruled out the possibility of sending German soldiers to Iraq as peacekeepers for the time being, at least until the occupying forces are sanctioned by the United Nations. German government spokesman Bela Anda reasserted this week that the reconstruction of postwar Iraq must take place under a U.N. mandate.

However, Berlin has indicated that it doesn't rule out a NATO peacekeeping force for Iraq, one which would not necessarily need U.N. authorization. At the same time, Chancellor Schröder’s government has emphasized that a NATO force would not automatically mean that Germany would be part of the peacekeeping deployment.

Defense Minister Struck (photo) made clear that he foresees several hurdles when it comes to deploying German troops in Iraq. "I don’t want to conceal my skepticism with regard to the proposal," Struck said on Tuesday.

It’s clear that such a deployment would need a parliamentary mandate," said Struck, and ruled out making a decision on the matter by July, as urged by Warsaw.

Following the sharp reactions, Warsaw toned down its rhetoric. Polish Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz said late on Tuesday that Poland would like to have as many European partners aboard the peacekeeping mission as possible.

"We would like to have as many European partners as possible to work together with us. To a great extent our common success will depend on that," Cimoszewicz said, after he discussed the proposal with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington.

Others are willing

The minister said he was not singling out Germany as a partner and there were many other willing governments. Poland also made clear that it would need a U.N. mandate to take part in the peacekeeping mission.

Struck is expected to discuss the proposal with his Danish counterpart, Svend Aage Jensby, in Copenhagen today and take it up again at the Trilateral Baltic Meeting May 8 of defense ministers from Germany, Denmark, Poland and the Baltic states tomorrow (Thursday).