Koizumi gives green light to SDF dispatch

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, December 04, 2003

Koizumi gives green light to SDF dispatch

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Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has decided to go on with the plan to send the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to Iraq despite unstable security situation there, the leading Yomiuri Shimbun reported Thursday.

Koizumi made the decision Wednesday following a briefing by Defense Agency Director Shigeru Ishiba on a report by the agency'ssurvey teams that were sent to Iraq in November, the newspaper quoted government sources as saying.

Tokyo will send an advance unit of Air Self-Defense Forces personnel to Iraq within this month, followed by transport units early next year, said the daily.

Eventually, a total of 1,100 personnel, consisting of ground, maritime and air forces, will be involved in the reconstruction program, it added.

Koizumi's decision came after two Japanese diplomats were killed in an ambush Saturday in northern Iraq. Earlier, terrorists have threatened to attack Japanese targets if it sends troops to Iraq. The prime minister is facing strong opposition both from hisLiberal Democratic Party and opposition parties against the dispatch.

Under a relevant law passed in July, the SDF is allowed to carry out operations in Iraq only in non-combat areas.

During Wednesday's meeting, Ishiba told Koizumi it would be possible to realize the program if various measures were taken to ensure safety because the southern Samawah area, where the SDF will be stationing, is relatively secure, said the newspaper.

A basic plan on the dispatch is expected to be approved by the cabinet on Monday at the earliest, it said.

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