Armenia may stay out of Iraq

YEREVAN, Armenia – Armenia’s prime minister suggested Friday the Caucasus country might not send troops to Iraq, saying conditions there have changed since they were promised.

Prime Minister Andranik Markarian stressed that it was up to the Constitutional Court and the parliament to make the decision on sending the troops even though Armenia’s president pledged the troops during a visit to Poland last month.

The 50 troops Armenia is considering sending – bomb disposal experts, doctors and transport teams – would work under Polish command in Iraq. Poland commands a multinational security force in central Iraq of about 6,000 troops, including more than 2,400 Polish soldiers.

“Let’s not forget that … there have been certain changes from the conditions under which we gave preliminary approval,” Markarian said,

Armenia, a former Soviet republic has sought to portray the decision to send troops to Iraq as a way to boost ties with Europe, but critics worry that it will endanger the 25,000-person Armenian community living in Iraq.