US Secretary of State Colin Powell called Thursday for increased NATO involvement in Iraq but said he doubted that the Atlantic alliance had many troops available to contribute."Some 16 of the 26 nations of NATO are in Iraq in some capacity and I'm not sure there is a great reservoir of troops left in NATO," Powell said during a visit to Denmark where he met with Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller.
Powell suggested however that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which currently has only a small logistical support operation in Iraq to back Polish-led multinational coalition forces, could contribute by increasing its logistical support.
He also expressed the hope that a new UN Security Council resolution on Iraq, which could accompany a US handover to a sovereign Iraqi government on June 30, would encourage countries to send more troops to the country.
The United States has in recent weeks faced a resurgence of violence in Iraq at a time when some members of the military coalition have decided to withdraw their troops, including Spain, Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
Powell stressed however that some 30 other countries had reiterated their commitment to the US-led efforts in Iraq, and thanked Denmark, which has 500 troops in the war-torn country, for its "steadfast support".
Moeller meanwhile said no political decision had been taken to increase the Danish contingent in Iraq, but stressed that "technical" contacts were underway to expand the mission of the Danish soldiers, who are under British command.
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