- OSLO (Reuters) - Oslo has
rejected an appeal by the United States to keep Norwegian troops in Iraq
after a planned pullout in June when Norway aims to focus on helping stabilise
Afghanistan.
-
- NATO-member Norway, which did not support the U.S.-led
war in Iraq last year, sent a company of about 180 troops to help stabilise
the south of Iraq after the overthrow of President Saddam Hussein.
-
- "We must follow our original plan, of a commitment
until the summer," Foreign Minister Jan Petersen told NRK television
on Friday after U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed hopes that
Oslo might reconsider its plan to pull out in June.
-
- "We must contribute so that NATO does not fail in
Afghanistan," Petersen said, adding that Norway's forces were spread
thinly between important missions. He denied that Oslo was scared off by
mounting violence in Iraq.
-
- Washington plans to hand over power to a caretaker Iraqi
administration on June 30 when the U.S.-led occupation ends, although U.S.
forces will stay on.
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