Honduras Joins in on Withdrawing Troops from Iraq

Honduras Joins in on Withdrawing Troops from Iraq. March. 17, 2004 22:28. by Young-Sik Kim spear@donga.com.

The Spanish Socialist Party, the winner of the general election, has announced the withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, and the impact of the decision is being amplified as Honduras followed Spain’s lead.

The Honduran government announced its plan to withdraw its dispatched troops consisting of 370 men and women, which was dispatched to support the Spanish-led brigade in the south central area of Iraq, by June.

Other countries with their troops under the banner of the Spanish command, including El Salvador, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic, may be under similar influence because of fear of terror attacks spreading among countries that dispatched its troops to Iraq.

The Japanese opposition party has begun to demand for the withdrawal of the Self-Defense Forces at the outset of the Senate election due in July.

Mizuho Fukushima, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, asserted on March 16, “Japan, too, should withdraw our troops from Iraq before we confront such tragedy.”

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi remained firmly determined for the resolution of troop dispatch saying, “Japan’s decision to support the mission in Iraq should not be swayed by the result of the Spanish elections.”

As many supporting countries show signs of commotion, the United States urged for the unity among the allies to prevent the “Domino Effect.”

U.S. President George W. Bush said Tuesday at the conference with the Dutch Prime Minister Peter Balkenende that the Netherlands’ forces in Iraq play a very important role in maintaining peace and carrying on with the campaign against terrorism and that the United States will not be intimidated by the terrorists’ violence.