Hungarian
Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány paid a half-day visit to Iraq on December
11, 2004. In Al Hillah the Prime Minister visited the Hungarian
transportation battalion that has served in the coalition forces for one
and a half years.
In
Baghdad he met with General George Casey, the Commanding General of the
Multi-National Force Iraq, and with Lieutenant General David Petraeus, the
US Multi-National Security Transition Commander for Iraq.
General
Casey underscored that the Hungarian transportation battalion has done a
very good job. He said the troops were well-trained, proficient, and
extremely disciplined.
At
his meeting with General Petraeus, the dual-hatted Commander of the NATO
Training Implementation Mission in Iraq, Prime Minister Gyurcsány has
reiterated the decision of the Hungarian Government to deploy troops,
trainers and officers to the NATO mission in Iraq. He also announced that
Hungary is to donate seventy-seven T-72 tanks and four million rounds of
ammunition to the Iraqi forces.
"With
this offer Hungary wants to contribute fully both to the training and to
the equipment of the free Iraqi security forces," said Ambassador
András Simonyi.
The
Hungarian Government is deploying 165 troops to the NATO Training and
Implementation Mission in Iraq to replace the current Hungarian force
serving there.
