Rumsfeld Arrives in Bangladesh, Discusses Iraq Troops

[Judi Lynn]

Rumsfeld Arrives in Bangladesh, Discusses Iraq Troops
Sat Jun 5, 2004 08:48 AM ET


By Charles Aldinger
DHAKA (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, winding up an Asia trip, held talks with Bangladesh leaders on Saturday on whether the moderate Muslim state would send troops to Iraq.

Rumsfeld, who arrived in Dhaka from Singapore after attending an Asian security conference, met Bangladesh Foreign Minister M. Morshed Khan.

"There are talks ongoing. Bangladesh prefers to put their troops under a U.N. command. We think that's where they are now. I think there's room for discussion," said a U.S. defense official, who asked not to be identified.

Bangladesh has a tradition of sending troops under a U.N. mandate to global troublespots.

On Friday, Khan had said his country would not send troops to any country "on behalf or against anyone."
(snip/...)

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=5351510

[leesa]

1. Paying off the starving masses to fight our wars?

This is so noble.

[phoebe]

3. you could say that..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3779943.stm

snip

The US defence secretary - one of the first ever to visit the poor south Asian nation - had been widely expected to ask that Dhaka provide troops to assist in the shaky effort to pacify Iraq.

Bangladesh is one of the world's largest contributors of peacekeeping forces, with some 7,000 soldiers deployed on missions around the world.

Thousands of Bangladeshis thronged Dhaka on Friday, some shouting "Rumsfeld is a war criminal" and "Killer go home". American flags were burned.

A bus was set on fire, killing nine people. Police have made two arrests, and put the blame on opposition activists.

[dArKeR]

2. Rumsfeld: Bangladesh may not send troops

By Charles Aldinger

Dhaka - United States Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld held talks on peacekeeping in Iraq with Bangladeshi leaders on Saturday, but told reporters he had not asked the moderate Muslim country to send peacekeeping troops to Iraq.

Rumsfeld, winding up a whirlwind Asian trip, met Bangladeshi Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan and senior military officers.

The secretary told reporters travelling with him that he discussed both Iraq and Afghanistan with the leaders of the country, which has a tradition of sending peacekeeping troops around the world under United Nations mandate.

http://iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=qw1086446880637B215&set_id=1