Parliament Rejects Call to Govt to Reverse Iraq Decision
The parliament voted down an opposition motion to call on the government to reverse its decision to send four military instructors to Iraq.
Lawmakers voted 21-to-46 against the motion at the conclusion of Monday's extraordinary session dedicated to the Iraq deployment.
The vote was split along partisan lines, with most of the coalition voting against the motion, while the main opposition parties, which had proposed the motion, backed it.
Meanwhile, lawmakers endorsed a recommendation from the parliamentary foreign policy committee, which met earlier in the day, that the government be asked to report on the deployment three months after Slovenian soldiers arrive in Iraq.
Coalition lawmakers argued today that reversing the government's decision would be an irresponsible act that would dent Slovenia's credibility.
"This is a question of Slovenia's commitment to the international community," coalition Slovenian Democrats (SDS) lawmaker Branko Grims said.
Meanwhile, lawmakers of the opposition Social Democrats (SD) and Liberal Democracy (LDS) argued that no document bound Slovenia to sending troops to Iraq.
The coalition also managed to push through a motion saying that the government's decision was in line with Slovenian legislation and foreign policy goals. The vote was 45-to-24 in favour of the motion.
Addressing the session, PM Janez Jansa said that Slovenia was helping stabilise Iraq by sending military instructors to train Iraqi security forces.
According to him, Slovenia was merely fulfilling its obligations as a member of NATO. The view was echoed by the foreign and defence ministers, Dimitrij Rupel and Karl Erjavec.
Erjavec added that by promoting security in Iraq, Slovenia was making the world a safer place.
The claims by the government representatives were rejected by the SD and LDS, whose lawmakers claimed the move would impact negatively on Slovenia's security and that Iraqis did not want Slovenian interference.
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