SEOUL Dec 17 Kyodo southerly Kor...

SEOUL Dec 17 Kyodo

southerly Korea finalized Wednesday a plan to transmit 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 throughout by President Roh Moo Hyun at the sad 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 disclosed duties of preserving peace and doing reconstruction work.''

The southward 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 through the whole extent of the coming months.

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

As for the area for the southern Korean troops to be opened 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 southerly Korean government delegation will discuss details with U officials, during a visit that begins Wednesday.

with a request from the United States, southern Korea committed in October to dispatching squads to help U.S.-led efforts in Iraq.

still dispatch is an extremely sensitive political issue in southern Korea. Those who are oppos to sending more company s 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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