Plus Ultra brigade promises Latino-style peacekeeping in Iraqi holy city

NAJAF, Iraq, Sept 6 (AFP) - Spanish, Honduran and Salvadoran troops have set out to convince Iraqis they are different from their US counterparts as they take over security responsibility for the flashpoint holy city of Najaf.

"We are not occupation forces, we have come to help," insisted Honduran commander Gonzalo Regalado as he sat in the headquarers of his contingent in the city, 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of Baghdad.

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Spain has a 1,300-strong contingent of troops in Iraq, serving in the central regions of Najaf and Al Qasidiyah alongside a 1,200-strong Central American force from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and El Salvador.

The brigade is part of a 9,000-strong Polish-led multinational division that this week took over security responsibility of the south-central region from the US marines.

The Plus Ultra soldiers set up shop some three weeks ago in university buildings and in a former hospital in Najaf.

"The Iraqis see us differently," said the Spanish contingent's commander Juan Carlos Garcia Vaquero, who leads a 100-strong Spanish unit in the town.

"I think they believe we have more respect for their customs and a willingness to learn their language, even if that means only three or four badly-pronounced expressions."

"In the street the behaviour is more humane on both sides. They have realised that we are a Latin-style army," added Regalado.

The presence in Najaf of the leading clerics of Iraq's majority Muslim Shiite population makes it one of the most sensitive cities in the country. The car bomb that killed a top cleric and at least 82 others underlined the city's importance.

After the bombing, the US military announced that some US Marines would stay on in Najaf even after the handover to the Spanish-led forces.

Regalado said the first moves of the Plus Ultra brigade were be more social than military.

"We have made contact with tribal leaders, religious authorities, local militias, political leaders, media and humanitarian organisations," he said.

But he concedes that so far none of the leading clerics, who oppose the US-led occupation forces but who tell their followers not to rise up against them, have met with the Latino peacekeepers.

Spanish and Polish forces have complained this week that some of their equipment promised by US forces has yet to arrive in their sectors.

"We cannot take control of Najaf under these conditions," said General Alfredo Cardona, head of the Plus Ultra brigade.

But the Spanish and Latin American forces were sure that they will make a difference once they took control of the holy city.

"The people will see a big difference once we take the reins," said Captain Emilio Hermoso, whose role is to liaise with Najaf's religious authorities.

"We didn't come to fight but to maintain the security and stability needed for growth," he said.

Three weeks after arriving in Iraq, the Spanish and Latin American troops agree that Iraq could and should have a bright future.

"This country has enormous potential," said Spanish Sergeant Juan Fornier. "There are great riches here but they are hidden. The proof is that in the middle of the desert just a little bit of water is enough to turn everything green."

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Iraq-Spain