By Shim Jae-yoon and Seo Soo-min
Staff Reporters

The government, driven by the capture of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, started consultations with the United States in order to speed up the dispatch of troops to Iraq.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Monday (Dec. 15) called Foreign Affairs-Trade Minister Yoon Young-kwan to say that the capture of Saddam Hussein will positively influence South Korea’s dispatch of troops to Iraq.

In the telephone call made early in the morning, Powell explained the situation surrounding the former Iraqi leader’s arrest in Tikrit on Saturday, ministry officials said.

“Powell said the arrest is expected to deal a major blow to his (Saddam’s) supporters, Foreign Ministry officials said in a press release. “He mentioned his hopes that this will lead to beneficial results to countries sending troops such as Republic of Korea.”

South Korea finalized a decision Sunday to send 3,000 soldiers to Iraq to help with the U.S.-led rehabilitation projects.

“We came to the decision to send the troops without considering the fate of Saddam Hussein. But we believe the sudden capture has surely reduced the uneasiness regarding the plan,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said.

“The capture of Saddam will remarkably weaken the resistance of the remaining Iraqi insurgents. There will no major battle any longer,” said Rhee Bong-jo, head of policy bureau at the National Security Council (NSC).

Rhee rebuffed the idea that Saddam’s capture had direct impact on South Korea’s plan. “We have been pursuing the troop dispatch with the goal of promoting peace and helping rehabilitation,” Rhee said.

Lee indicated the administration said it would send troops around May next year. “It takes about four months to prepare for the troop dispatch,” Lee said.

The Joint Chiefs of Staffs of Seoul will consult with Washington diplomats, while a third survey team will soon head to Iraq for a better assessment of Iraq’s reconstruction.

ssm@koreatimes.co.kr
jayshim@koreatimes.co.kr