Army and Navy ready for war - Kwasniewski

In the event of a war in Iraq, "the scale of the Polish army's participation will be limited. There is a ship, "Xawery Czernicki" already located in the region along with GROM soldiers," generals were informed by President Kwasniewski during an annual assembly. The president assured participants that Poland is ready to support a war on terrorism, the disarmament of Iraq and the most peaceful possible resolution to the Iraq crisis. He added that the country's stance on the subject is dependent on NATO's decision al though, to his mind, resolution 1441 is enough to wage war. Four years' membership in NATO have shown that Poland is a serious ally that can be counted upon. Prime Minister Miller pointed out that expenses on national defense are approaching 2% of GDP as well as mentioning the ongoing mo dernization of the army and the transformation of the armed forces among the military's recent successes. In 1989 the army had 400,000 soldiers, and that figure is now down to 150,000 with 7,000 officers being discharged this year alone. According to Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski, in the near future, the Army will be 60% composed of full time professional soldiers, and will boast 31 specialist emergency units. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A5) A.C.