Dominican Republic, Honduras Withdrawing Iraq Troops, Reuters, 4/20/04
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (Reuters) - The Dominican Republic will withdraw its 300 troops from Iraq "as soon as possible" and Honduras will bring home its 370 soldiers within two months, officials from the two Latin American countries said on Tuesday.
The pullouts, which follow Spain's move to bring its soldiers home, were a double blow to the United States and its coalition allies.
The Dominican Republic's secretary of the armed forces, Lt. Gen. Jose Miguel Soto Jimenez, said President Hipolito Mejia had decided on a withdrawal "as soon as possible" after meeting on Tuesday with senior aides. An agreement with the United States on troops in Iraq had been due to expire in June but until now there had been no word on when the Dominican troops would come home.
"The president has decided on the withdrawal of our troops in Iraq as he believes there is no need to run unnecessary risks," Soto Jimenez said.
The Dominican decision was spurred by the announcement by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Spain's new prime minister, that he had given orders for Spain's 1,400 troops in Iraq to come home as soon as possible.
Spain has been in charge of troops in Iraq from the Spanish-speaking nations El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.
Soto Jimenez said the agreement with the United States to send troops to Iraq was so that they could help in reconstruction but the situation had been getting "very worrying."
In the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, Defense Minister Federico Breve said Honduran troops would leave within two months. The Central American nation had said on Monday it would bring all of its soldiers home due to spiraling violence and pressure following Spain's decision to remove its forces.
"We expect the return of the troops to take place in the next six or eight weeks. We have given precise instructions to the leadership of the general staff," Breve told reporters.
Honduras, a close U.S. ally, sent troops to Iraq last summer as peacekeepers only. They have been clearing mines and providing medical care in central Iraq.
The Hondurans were due to leave when their mandate expires in July, but there was uncertainty over whether a new contingent would be sent. The newly announced withdrawal schedule would bring them home in June without being replaced.
Breve said he hoped Honduras' close ties to Washington would continue. "I do not see any reason why relations between Honduras and the United States should deteriorate," he said.
Nicaraguan troops came home earlier this year as part of a normal rotation but a new contingent has not been sent to Iraq because the government says it is short of cash.
Once the scene of bitter Cold War conflicts, Central American countries have been eager to build on close trade and immigration ties with the United States by cooperating in the occupation of Iraq.
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