US, Spain ask Paraguay to send troops to Iraq

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, January 22, 2004

US, Spain ask Paraguay to send troops to Iraq

The United States and Spain have asked Paraguay to send troops to Iraq "to collaborate in the process of transition and reconstruction in this country."

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The United States and Spain have asked Paraguay to send troops to Iraq "to collaborate in the process of transition and reconstruction in this country."

The Paraguayan daily ABC Color said on Wednesday the request was "officially" made by representatives of the US and Spanish governments, on Tuesday night, to Paraguayan Vice President Luis Alberto Castiglioni at a meeting.

During the meeting, Spanish Secretary of Defense Fernando Diez Moreno said Paraguay "has known how to carry out a political transition process toward democracy." So it had the experience to help others like Iraq, which "needs help after 20 or 30 years of dictatorship."

United States Undersecretary of Defense Dov S. Zakheim said he was convinced Paraguay "has a very important role to play in the world."

Because of its participation in Iraq, Paraguay "would provide an excellent example" to other nations in Latin America which werenot willing to collaborate in the reconstruction in this country, the daily reported.

Paraguayan Vice President Castiglioni said it was the first such request Paraguay had received. But he revealed that this petition was part of a conversation between Paraguayan President Nicanor Duarte and his US counterpart, George W. Bush, when they met weeks ago.

Source: Xinhua

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