Gov't to Decide on Troop Dispatch in Oct
The government is seeking to reach a final decision by the end of October on the United States' request for South Korean
combat troops to help stabilize postwar Iraq.
¡°We will wrap up the matter by the end of next month taking various factors into account,¡± a senior Cheong Wa Dae
official said on Tuesday (Sept. 23).
National security advisor Ra Jong-yil is set to visit the U.S. early next month to discuss the matter with officials,
including his counterpart Condoleezza Rice.
Ra will attempt to iron out differences in opinions on the issue before a planned summit meeting between President Roh
Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting to
be held Oct. 21-22 in Bangkok.
¡°We need to come to a conclusion on the matter before the APEC session,¡± the official said.
Defense Minister Cho Young-kil said the government will have an outline on the matter before officials begin the
Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) in Seoul, Oct. 24-25.
¡°We will need to present our position on the matter by that time although it will not be the final one,¡± Cho said
during a National Assembly inspection of the ministry.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is scheduled to attend the meeting.
The government is planning to hold a meeting of security-related ministers this week to discuss the troop dispatch.
An inter-ministry delegation will leave for Iraq on Wednesday to carry out a 10-day survey on the feasibility of the
military assistance.
Another delegation composed of security-related officials will also leave for the U.S. to fine-tune policies on the
matter. The delegation, led by Deputy Defense Minister Cha Young-koo, will also coordinate policies ahead of the Oct.
6-8 Korea-U.S. alliance meeting.