U.S. to pull military forces from Iceland

[UpInArms]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.iceland17mar17,0,1861731.story

REYKJAVIK, Iceland // The United States, which has long provided Iceland with its only military force, has decided to withdraw most of its service members and all of its fighter jets and helicopters from the country this year, the U.S. ambassador said yesterday.

Iceland's government, which had recently offered to pay some of the cost of its defense to try to keep U.S. forces here, said it regretted the decision.

In an interview, U.S. Ambassador Carol van Voorst said she and Nicholas Burns, the U.S. undersecretary of state, had told Prime Minister Haldor Asgrimsson and Foreign Minister Geir H. Haarde of the unilateral decision Wednesday.

But Washington also said it would continue to honor its 1951 agreement with Iceland requiring the United States, under the auspices of NATO, to provide this country's defense. U.S. and Icelandic officials were to hold talks about how that will be done, van Voorst said.

...more...

[slackmaster]

1. This is terrible - the Icelandic Threat is real!

:freak:

[electropop]

2. We're leaving Bjork without nukes?

I'm sure she'll be sad.

[papau]

3. I wonder if Iceland would allow black US servicemen to be stationed there

would we care? Would we stay?

I suspect not as it was not a worry for quite a few generations of military types.

[BlackHeart]

4. I don't get

what you're saying.

[papau]

5. during and after WW2 we agreed to not post black Americans to Iceland

at their demand. US Navy bases in Iceland were the last to finally allow blacks to be stationed there - but Iceland has since abandoned that part of their racism when they did the ratification of the European treaty of human rights.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Unbelievably odd! Thanks for the information, papua. n/t

[M155Y_A1CH]

7. Mission Accomplished

The ice is in retreat!

[Javaman]

8. From Iceland to Hell-land (Iraq) nt

[Coventina]

9. Exactly. n/t

[ConcernedCanuk]

10. "the four U.S. jet fighters and several U.S. helicopters" - ?????

.
.
.

THAT'll really beef up the Middle East Occupations, eh????

From the posted Article:

"Icelandic authorities regret this decision by the United States government," Haarde said in a statement Wednesday.

In it, he informed Icelanders that the four U.S. jet fighters and several U.S. helicopters used in search-and-rescue missions would leave by the end of September.
_________________________________________________________________________

The limitless sacrifices of the USA Admin to help others never ceases to amaze me

[ugarte]

11. Shit, this leaves Iceland wide open to Al-Qaeda...nt

[TomInTib]

12. Then we will have to fight them in Iceland so we don't have to...

[ugarte]

13. LOL...preemptive attack on Reykyavik...nt

[oblivious]

14. Not so. They still have two unarmed helicopters and an airplane.

Without U.S. warplanes, Iceland would be left with a small Coast Guard, which has two unarmed helicopters and an airplane.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1142510817175&call_pageid=968332188854&col=968350060724

[HuffleClaw]

15. madness

iceland has been a CORNERSTONE of their plans to keep the atlantic a viable shipping route in the event of global war for generations. and now, they are going to abandon it to pay for the iraq debacle?