Poland may withdraw troops from Chad, Lebanon to cut costs
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Saturday Poland may withdraw its troops from Chad and Lebanon as part of a 3.9 billion euro cost-cutting plan to help ward off the financial crisis.
"We will consider whether it makes sense to continue with certain foreign missions. We will certainly take a decision about Chad and Lebanon this year," he said.
The government said on Tuesday it is cutting spending by 17 billion zlotys (3.878 billion euros, 5.06 billion dollars) from the 321.221 billion zlotys it had planned to spend this year, in response to the global economic crisis.
Poland”s current 400-member mission in Chad is the second-largest in the European Union”s peacekeeping force after France.
Last month Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said the size of its mission could be cut to 300, when the EU”s UN-approved mandate expires in March and the mission is passed to the world body.
Poland also has nearly 500 troops in Lebanon as part of the UN peacekeeping force (UNIFIL), which is helping to monitor a ceasefire between Israel and the militia group Hezbollah following a month-long war in 2006.