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THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB) |
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THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE ACCOUNTABILITY OF AMERICAN BASES (CAAB) |
"It's very important in Iraq that we continue to train more and more police," General Richard B. Myers, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said at a press conference in Budapest.
The US is currently in talks with Hungary and other central European nations about possibly using military bases in the region to train 28,000 Iraqi police officers as part of Washington's efforts to shore up law enforcement in post-war Iraq, according to earlier declarations of the US embassy in Budapest.
Hungary's airbase at Taszar, 200 kilometers (125 miles) south of Budapest, has been mentioned as a possible site for housing some of the trainees, but Myers said no decision has yet been made to send the trainees there.
"We're in the middle of discussing (this) in the US, internally, so it's way too early to talk about the future use of Taszar," Myers said.
Hungary allowed the US army to use Taszar in the run-up to the Iraqi war to train 1,500 Iraqi dissidents to help US forces liaise with the Iraqi population after the war.
Myers said Iraqi security forces now number more than 55,000, including police, infrastructure protection services and a new Iraqi army.
"In many cases they are working with coalition forces to provide security for their country," Myers said.
A recent poll in Hungary found 57 percent of the population is against the idea of hosting Iraqi police trainees, while 59 percent feel there would be an increased threat to the nation's security if the Iraqis came, according to a survey by polling firm Szonda-Ipsos.
Hungary has sent 300 troops, mostly logistics experts, to help in the reconstruction of Iraq.
Myers on Wednesday visited US troops in Kosovo. Later on Thursday he was to travel to Bosnia and Poland, according to the US embassy in Budapest.