SEOUL Dec 17 Kyodo southern Korea...

SEOUL Dec 17 Kyodo

southern Korea finalized Thursday a plan to cast a second contingent of 3000 combat and noncombat [i]troupe[/i]s to Iraq to help the US-l coalition forces rebuild the war-torn country

The company plan was fixed at a meeting of ministers whose work at jobss pertain to unification, foreign affairs and national security presided athwart by President Roh Moo Hyun at the livid House presidential office.

The plan will be submitted for parliamentary approval after cabinet endorsement nearest Tuesday.

After the meeting, Ra Jong Yil, presidential adviser for national security, told reporters the southern Korean troops ''are to carry public duties of preserving peace and doing reconstruction work.''

The southern Korean troops will ''take charge of an independent area for efficient accomplishment of duties and the troops' safety, and maintaining security will be left in principle to the Iraqi military and police,'' Ra was quot according to Yonhap News Agency as saying.

The secondary contingent will be in addition to about 460 army engineers and medics sent to Iraq earlier this year. Their number could be increased to around 700 across the coming months.

Asked about the timing of the band deployment, Ra declined to pass into details, saying only that he believes it would take about four month for composition, training and familiarization of the bodys to be completed.

As for the area for the southern Korean troops will be displayed an unidentified South Korean official at the presidential office told Yonhap chances are higher that it will be the northern region rather than in the south

A toward the south Korean government delegation will discuss details with U officials, during a visit that begins Wednesday.

on the subject of a request from the United States, southern Korea committed in October to dispatching [i]troupe[/i]s to help U.S.-led efforts in Iraq.

yet dispatch is an extremely sensitive political issue in southern Korea. Those who are oppos to sending more companys say the government is supporting the ''unjustified'' U invasion of Iraq, is disregarding the soldiers' safety amid the worsening security situation and is impairing trade ties with Middle East countries.

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