US.Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz compared the crimes of Saddam Hussein to the atrocities of the Nazi and Stalinist eras in a speech in Warsaw on Tuesday, and argued that the Sept. 11 attacks put the United States and Poland "in the middle of a war that we didn't look for.''
Speaking to an audience of mostly Polish soldiers, Wolfowitz recalled the brutality inflicted on Poles by the Hitler regime and later by the country's Soviet occupiers, suggesting that intimate knowledge of oppression places a responsibility on Poland to fight tyranny in Iraq.
"Poland's leadership is marked by courage and belief in freedom and is strengthened by the painful lessons of history,'' Wolfowitz said. "Poles understand threats better than anyone, the consequences of making toothless warnings to brutal tyrants and terrorist regimes. And yes, I do include Saddam Hussein.'"
Wolfowitz's visit comes a day after Polish leaders indicated they are considering ending the country's presence in Iraq, where it commands a 6,000-strong international force, by the end of 2005.
Though Polish leaders have long said they hope to wind down their mission in Iraq once the country stabilizes, it was the first time a date was ever floated for a pullout.
Though Wolfowitz did not refer to those comments directly, his comments appeared intended to shore up support for the mission within the Polish military.
Polls show that about 70 percent of the population opposes the country's presence in Iraq and recent media reports suggest support for the mission is falling even in the army, with 13 Polish soldiers killed so far and some troops reportedly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder upon their return.
Wolfowitz also referred to Sept. 11 in suggesting Poland bears its share of the responsibility in the so-called war against terrorism.
"The cold blooded murder of 3,000 innocent souls from America and Poland and many other countries on that September day once again put us in the middle of a war that we didn't look for and once again the target is freedom itself,'' Wolfowitz said.
Earlier, Wolfowitz met with Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski and Foreign Minister Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz.
"We agreed the next six months will be a crucial time for the stabilization and for reforming Iraq toward democracy,'' Szmajdzinski said afterward. "I said that our obligations stemming from our presence in Iraq will be carried out throughout all of the year 2005."
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