US may call up more reservists for Iraq
By Edward Alden in Washington
Published: September 24 2003 18:56
The US may be forced to call up more reserve and National Guard troops to serve in Iraq because of the reluctance of other countries to send forces, US defence officials said on Wednesday.
General Peter Pace, vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that the Pentagon would need to alert reserve troops in the next four to six weeks unless a multinational division of 10,000 to 15,000 troops was pledged before then.
But US hopes for winning international support appeared to be waning in the wake of the tepid response to President George W. Bush's call at the United Nations on Tuesday for more international assistance.
Donald Rumsfeld, US defence secretary, told a congressional committee on Wednesday: "We're not going to get a lot of international troops with or without a UN resolution."
The call-up of additional reserve and guard troops to maintain the 130,000-strong US force in Iraq could further weaken domestic popular support for the US role in Iraq.
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentSe...012571727 085