Defense Minister Anatoliy Gritsenko, speaking in Warsaw after a meeting with his Polish counterpart, Jerzy Szmajdzinski, stressed that Ukraine will not leave the coalition, "but it is changing the character of its mission."
Ukraine on 1 March approved the pullout of its 1,650-strong contingent in a phased withdrawal between 15 March and October. Its troops are responsible for security and training new Iraqi forces in the Wasit Province, which borders Iran.
Gritsenko today said that a last group of some 900 troops may remain in Iraq until December, but said the issue "is still open for discussion and will be consulted on with other nations."
(AP/AFP)
Ukraine on 1 March approved the pullout of its 1,650-strong contingent in a phased withdrawal between 15 March and October. Its troops are responsible for security and training new Iraqi forces in the Wasit Province, which borders Iran.
Gritsenko today said that a last group of some 900 troops may remain in Iraq until December, but said the issue "is still open for discussion and will be consulted on with other nations."
(AP/AFP)
