Posted November. 02, 2003 22:37,
It is known on October 2 that the government decided on a policy that the scale of the additional sending troops to Iraq will be around 3,000±500 men, with a mixed detachment of combat and non-combat troops.
The government is planning to send a conference group for sending troops with the U.S., which is led by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Lee Soo-hyuck, the chief of the Policy Planning Bureau of the Ministry of National Defense (MND), Cha Young-goo, the chief of the Strategy Planning Bureau of the National Security Council (NSC), Seo Joo-seok, to convey the Korean government standpoint on November 4 to Washington.
A high-ranking government authority said, The deputy chief of the Secretariat of the NSC, Lee Chong-suks recent utterance the scale of the troops would be around 2,000 to 3,000 men was not decided in a day or two but was decided after going through arbitration of the offices and departments of the government.
His remark runs counter to Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoon Young-kwans utterance -The government never deliberated on the matter in connection with Lees comments at Yoons recent press meeting. Especially, the scale of the troops, which is decided by the government, was drastically cut in comparison to the 5,000 to 10,000 men estimation, which raised an issue on October 18 when the government had to decide whether or not dispatch the troops. Therefore, it is noteworthy what will be the conclusion of the negotiation with the U.S. over the troops scale.
Apart from the Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) attendants, the conference group is expected to discuss the scale, time, and the characteristics of the troops with the U.S.
Lee, at the press meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, said, The scale, characteristics, and the formation of the sending troops to Iraq is still under investigation, and added, The government passed basic judgment, but I cannot make the decision public.
Based on the result of the council with the conference group and the U.S. and the result of the second joint survey teams examination, the government will settle the troop dispatch issue and will send information to the U.S. side at the SCM, which will be held on November 17-18 in Seoul.