the PM

The New York Times, December 8, 2004

Nicholas D. Kristof continues his (unsanctioned) mission on behalf of the White House, seeking to drum up troops for Iraq, in an interview with the prime minister of Estonia. Here is what they talked about:

NDK: In my campaign to help president Bush drum up foreign troops for Iraq, I travel to the tiny nation of Estonia to meet with prime minister Parts. I ask the prime minister why he sent 55 Estonian troops to Iraq.

the PM: Õõ… actually õõ… this was… õõ…õõ… request or… õõ from our allies and, and we, we look the look the United States as allies. And of course õõ…õõ…we decided õõ together õõ the many other European and, and countries to, to, to, to participate, this is õ, õ one, one. But the second of course õ,õ I think õõ, õõ…or, or our general approach is that õ, that õ, õõ we can’t õõ, take õõ the attitude that, or policy, that õõooõõoo we only actif in õõ in our region.

NDK: Mhmhh. Is this a quid pro quo? Will Estonia expect the US to help it, in it’s hour of need?

the PM: Yes, I think it’s a, it’s a quite õõ common õõ way to think. Õõ tha-that is why I said that if our ally, like United States, õõ, õõ ask my support õõ, õõ, participation in this õõ coalition. And of course this is also very important that if, if we are g… we are supporting our allies, then of course õõ this is õõ, õõõõ…is õõ…expectation to if, if we need help then our allies help us.

NKD: You mentioned, uh, Estonian gratitude for American help in the past, but if so, isn’t Estonia being kind of cheap about it’s help, sending a couple of dozen troops? Wouldn’t it make more sense in that case to send a thousand troops?

the PM: Yeah, but yo-you have to look that õõ, what, what we mean their help, or, or, or support. I think õõ mostly we õõ, we are talking about ummm, mmmm,õõõ…I-I..Õõ support õõõõ politically, morally, õõõõ….This is, I think, their-their-their more cheaper way to support and to-to-to work together, to õõ, to-to build the-the future õõ and õõ to have strategical regulations (?). I think this is most important. The-the fact that Estonia is õõ, mmm..õõ..Estonia is small, but õõ… that õõõõõõõõõõõ… I mean õõ small population, but õõ we are the, Estonia is small nation.

NDK: Does the Estonian population support the deploiment of Estonian troops in Iraq?

the PM: Concerning the public opinion here, of course this is ummm, õõõ nobody is õõ for õõ war. This is õõ quite õõ obvious and I ss… Sixty percent õõ who are not very much favour about õõ Estonian participation. But õõ in the parliament there is a quite broad consensus in among the political parties. So this is õõ sometimes may-maybe it’s quite typical õõ… typical õõ… mm… that õõ… in-in politics you have õõ things which is maybe very difficult to explain to the people, you know, very difficult to explain to the people and of course this is very much depend õõ, õõ what you actually trust and what you believe and-and of course õõ, õõ we believe in-in-in building our security very much about these õõ strong õõ, õõ European-American regulations(?), õõ, õõ, we-we very much õõõ… Appreciate this õõ American, U-United States policy in the past and we õõ we-we feel how much the Americans õõ… õõ…th… õõ… American policy consider these values and-and this is õõ… And also the membership in NATO, I think õõ this is also the next very important cornerst… st-st-stone or cornerstones in our basis for creating our õõ, I-I-õ… our õõ guaranteeing our independence.

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