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The government, discussing its plans to send more troops to Iraq, says that it intends to station forces in Iraq from April 1 next year until December 31. It also said that the location of the deployment will be decided after talks with the United States and Coalition Command, as well as by taking into account issues of unit security and mission difficulty.
During a Tuesday morning Cabinet meeting headed by President Roh Moo-hyun, the president said that the government is readying a motion for the troop dispatch to Iraq.
According to the motion, the size of the deployment will be kept to within 3,000 men, and the troops are to carry out duties related to bringing peace and supporting reconstruction in the region to which they are assigned.
The command of the operational is to be placed in the hands of a commander on the ground in Iraq, who in turn is to answer to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The government is to pay for the deployment.
During a briefing Tuesday morning, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Yoon Tai-young said that the Cabinet would deliberate and vote on the Iraq motion today. If the Cabinet finishes up its deliberations early, Yun said, the president would sign the motion and the Ministry of Defense will pass it to the National Assembly.
Yun added, however, that it might be difficult to send the motion to the National Assembly on Tuesday. Still, there doesnĄ¯t appear to be any reason for the government to delay passing the motion over, and its expected to be in the hands of the National Assembly by December 24.
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