Also see Poland Extends Its Mission in Iraq, The Scotsman, 12/29/05

Poland has been with us in the fight in Iraq for several years. In 1991, during the first Gulf War, Polish secret agents saved the lives of several of our covert agents by spiriting them out of the country, and for 13 years, Poland represented American interests in Baghdad. This was no small risk for Poland's diplomats. Poland's Grom commando units stormed an oil platform and the port of Um Kasrr in the early days of the liberation of Iraq. Poland was then in charge of an international division of 26 nations stabilizing the central south zone of Iraq and providing security to 5 million Iraqis.

Now, after the Spaniards, the Dutch, the Ukrainians, and Bulgarians have left, Poland has emerged, along with Britain, as our staunchest ally in this fight. The question is whether the commitment by Poland is rewarded in a way that will enable the government in Warsaw to side with America in the future. Opting to go with us in Iraq, Poland faced the wrath of France and Germany, famously prompting President Chirac to tell the new democracies of central and Eastern Europe that, by signing a letter of support for America, they had passed up a good opportunity to keep quiet.

Poland's operations in Iraq have cost it $600 million so far, or 10% of its annual defense budget, money that otherwise would have been spent on procurement of weapons and materiel to improve its military capability. So a solid ally like Poland is faced with the choice of either improving its capabilities or being helpful to America. It is true that Poland has its own reasons in Iraq; Spain and Britain have recently learned that al Qaeda is fully capable of striking in the heart of Europe. But it's hard to imagine that Poland would have been a prime target had it not been helping us.

In Poland there is a perception of a lack of reciprocity. The joke is, "We buy F-16s and in return are allowed to fight in Iraq." It's a perverse kind of incentive system. One solution is to have NATO finance out-of-area operations from a common fund, to which all members contribute in proportion to their GDP. Another is for the U.S. to align its military assistance policy with its foreign policy goals and with the need to incent those allies who are actually helpful in the current war. Why are we sending Egypt a yearly tribute of $1.8 billion while we are offering Poland a handful of superannuated C-130s?

For a third of the money we ladle out to the anti-Semitic regime in Cairo, we could have a Polish expeditionary brigade eagerly giving a hand to their American colleagues - and not only in Iraq, but in other theaters and other emergencies. This is one of the proposals, for example, of Poland's visionary new defense minister, Radek Sikorski, who presented this idea in his recent meeting with Secretary Rumsfeld. It strikes us as a no-brainer for the great defense secretary who taught so many the difference between Old Europe and New Europe.

More broadly, President Bush is fast approaching the point in this war where he needs to give public recognition of the fact that he comprehends who his friends are. He has done that handsomely with Britain and, to a degree, with Italy, though Italy is withdrawing while the Poles are still in the fight. We'd have long since begun moving American bases out of Germany and into Poland, which is eager to have them. It is hard, in any event, to think of a country that has been with us more steadfastly than Poland. It has just elected a new government that stood on the kinds of principles Mr. Bush stood on. Now is the time for Mr. Bush to show that he knows who his friends are and stands with them.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski has approved extending the country's military mission in Iraq for another year, the prime minister said.

"The president made the decision at the government's request," Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz said on TVN24 television during a skiing trip at the mountain resort of Zakopane. "The issue is closed and taken care of."

Marcinkiewicz's government requested on Tuesday that Kaczynski, the commander in chief of Poland's armed forces, reverse plans by the previous government to bring home troops serving with the US-led coalition in early 2006.

The president's office would not immediately confirm the news. While TVN24 initially quoted Marcinkiewicz as saying the president had signed documents approving the extension, it later dropped that wording from its report. However, final approval from Kaczynski, who is close to Marcinkiewicz's government, was widely expected.

Marcinkiewicz's announcement offers some relief to US President George Bush, who has seen the US-led coalition in Iraq dwindle and has faced criticism at home and abroad over his handling of the war. Just this week, Ukraine and Bulgaria have announced that their remaining soldiers had pulled out of Iraq.

In calling for an extension on Tuesday, Marcinkiewicz called it "a very difficult decision" but a step meant to help maintain stability as Iraq progresses towards democracy.

Though the mission will be prolonged, the number of Poles serving in Iraq will be cut from about 1,500 to 900 by March, officials have said. The Poles are based at Camp Echo in the central city of Diwaniyah, where they mainly train Iraqi security forces.

Poland has been a staunch US ally in Iraq. It sent combat troops to the country and in September 2003 took command of an international force that now numbers some 3,000 troops from 12 countries.

However, the deployment is unpopular and some in Poland have complained that they have not seen sufficient rewards - for example, easier access to US tourist visas or more contracts for Polish companies in the rebuilding of Iraq.

Seventeen Poland solders have died in Iraq. The previous left-wing government had said it would bring the Polish contingent home at the start of 2006.