Hungary announced plans to withdraw its troops from the Iraqi coalition, though its defense minister plans to ask for an extension on the current Hungarian commitment until after the planned Iraqi election.
Hungary will withdraw its 300 troops from Iraq by the end of March, the country’s new prime minister said Wednesday.
The announcement is a blow to President Bush’s efforts to hold the coalition together despite increasing violence in Iraq. Hungarian officials said they delayed the announcement until after the U.S. presidential elections.
The Hungarian force, a transportation contingent, is based at Hillah, 65 miles south of Baghdad, and is under Polish command.
The parliamentary mandate for Hungary’s mission in Iraq will expire Dec. 31. Peter Matyuc, a defense ministry spokesman, said the government would ask the parliament Monday to extend it until March 31.
Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany said it was the country’s duty to stay through Iraq’s January elections. “To stay there much longer is impossible,” he said.
One Hungarian soldier has died in Iraq, killed when a roadside bomb exploded by the water-carrying convoy he was guarding.
Hungary on Wednesday abandoned its military draft system after 136 years.
Hungarian withdrawal is a shame, but understandable in light of the troop-level difficulty they could soon face without a draft. They should have our thanks for their brave involvement to date, as well as their wisdom in delaying their announcement so as to not have an impact on the U.S. presidential contest.
The announcement will have no impact on Polish involvement.
Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski said Wednesday that Hungary’s decision to pull out of its troops from Iraq will not influence his country.
He said Hungary has the right to make its own decisions. Poland also wishes to withdraw its troops and cut the number of soldiers there, but his country has to strictly abide by the withdrawal schedule and complete its mission to maintain stability in Iraq.