Latest news and developments surrounding Polish forces in Iraq

The Iraqi Culture Minister yesterday accused the coalition forces, commanded by Polish General Andrzej Ekiert, of constantly damaging and destroying the ancient part of Babilon. "Their presence, with their heavy equipment, is extremely harmful," said the Minister, stressing that what creates greatest inconvenience is helicopter traffic. Lieutenant-Colonel Artur Domański, the multinational division's spokesman, refuted the Iraqi Ministers arguments and stated, “There are archaeologists in our division who take care of Babilon's historical buildings.". Meanwhile General Ekiert announced yesterday that the beginning of operation Marcin, aimed at detaining terrorists who killed a Polish soldier and wounded seven others on Thursday. Over the weekend Foreign Minister Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz met with American Secretary of State Colin Powell who took part in the Warsaw Uprising commemorations. They talked, among other things, about decreasing the number of Polish soldiers in Iraq after it builds its own military forces and about Polish citizens' expectations concerning facilitating travels to the U.S. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A6) D.W.