February 3, 2007
Slovakia has pulled its troops out of Iraq, Prime Minister Robert Fico said today, branding the war there "unjust and wrong".
The withdrawal of 110 Slovak army engineers fulfilled one of the leftist Fico's top campaign promises in a June 2006 election in which he beat the centre-right administration of Mikulas Dzurinda.
By pulling out, Slovakia joins fellow EU nations Spain and Italy that also withdrew troops from Iraq following a government change.
Slovakia supported the US-led military campaign in Iraq under Mr Dzurinda, but Mr Fico has long opposed Slovakia's presence there and his government agreed in October to withdrew its forces.
"The war in Iraq is unbelievably unjust and wrong," Mr Fico said.
The Slovak soldiers are now in Kuwait and are preparing for a trip home, the Defence Ministry said.
"The entry of foreign armies into Iraq has caused huge tensions. To speak about any democracy in Iraq is a fantasy," Mr Fico said.
"The security situation is catastrophic... and if somebody wants to say today that the situation there has improved, it would be a lie."
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