WASHINGTON -The $80 billion war funding request President Bush will send to Congress next week includes $400 million to help nations that have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Poland, a staunch ally in Iraq, is earmarked to receive one-fourth of the money.
The White House announced the fund, dubbed the solidarity initiative
after Bush's meeting yesterday with Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski.
These funds... reflect the principle that an investment in a partner in freedom today will help ensure that America will stand united with stronger partners in the future White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said in a statement. This assistance will support nations that have developed troops in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as other partners promoting freedom around the world.
Poland has taken command of a multinational security force in central Iraq that currently includes about 6,000 troops. Currently, Poland has more than 2,400 troops in Iraq. Polish officials say that a reduction this month will leave them with somewhere around 1,700 troops in Iraq.
Poland has been a fantastic ally because the president and the people of Poland love freedom
Bush said in announcing that Poland is earmarked to receive $100 million. I know the people of your country must have been thrilled when the millions of people went to the polls in Iraq.
On another issue, Kwasniewski said that he and Bush talked about adopting a road map to ease visa requirements for Poles traveling to the United States.
The visa requirement is unpopular in Poland, where a jobless rate of about 19 percent drives many people to seek jobs abroad, including in America. The Poles have pressed for an easing of requirements in return for their involvement in Iraq, where 16 Polish troops have been killed.
Both President Bush and myself talked about the adoption of the road map that is going to solve the visa problem
Kwasniewski said through a translator. And it implies concrete decisions that are going to be made in relation to the visa regime
doing away with some old information
old data
statistics
concerning the immigration violation from before 1989; easing of the procedures... and further cooperation with the Congress in order to facilitate the process as much as possible
he said through a translator.
We hope that the road map that has been accepted will be a very good solution
he said.
Asked whether he would support legislation introduced in Congress to address the visa problem, Bush said, Well
