Slovenia to Send Soldiers to Iraq

Ljubljana, 12 January

The government adopted a decision to send four Slovenian military instructors to Iraq, to help in NATO efforts to train Iraqi high and middle ranking officers.

Slovenia will send four officers to work at the al-Rustamiya training centre near Baghdad, to assist NATO in training high and middle ranking Iraqi officers. Slovenian soldiers are expected to leave for Iraq within two months, Defence Minister Karl Erjavec said, adding that they would not be taking part in combat or in operations of the US-led coalition.
They are to serve a six-month rotation with the possibility of another rotation after this period, with Slovenia also offering all necessary equipment, Erjavec added.
According to Erjavec, the Slovenian army has the necessary capabilities for the mission and only needs to finalise the technicalities with NATO.
The decision on going to Iraq is voluntary, and the move will not present any additional threats to Slovenia's security, he said.
The defence minister also explained that the operation is expected to cost SIT 46.8m (EUR 195,000) in 2006 and SIT 15m (EUR 62,600) in 2007.
He added that the decision on sending the troops to Iraq is valid for 2006. In 2007 the government would decide on further moves in line with the situation in Iraq.
Rupel has meanwhile added that NATO has often wooed Slovenia to contribute in training Iraqi forces. After NATO called on its members to provide more help in the effort at its June 2004 Istanbul summit, Slovenia opted for a more active role in stabilising Iraq.
Apart from sending five police instructors to Jordan, Slovenia decided in February last year to donate arms and equipment worth EUR 5.2m, donated EUR 100,000 to train the Iraqis and co-financed the transport of Hungarian tanks to Iraq with EUR 172,000.
In the current situation the decision to send Slovenian troops to Iraq is the right thing to do, President Janez Drnovsek told the press in Ljubljana on Thursday.
Even though Drnovsek believes that the attack on Iraq was a mistake, he is of the opinion that the country needs to be stabilised and prevented from descending into chaos, he commented on the government's decision to send soldiers to Iraq.
The president believes that it is right and proper that Slovenia takes part in stabilising the country, however, added that Slovenia is not a member of the US-led coalition in Iraq.
According to him, helping the Americans in Iraq might also result in a broader support for his Darfur project, Drnovsek said at the press conference dedicated to his initiative to end the crisis in the western Sudanese region.

Slovenia to Send Soldiers to Iraq

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