By Shim Jae-yun
Staff Reporter

U.S. President George W. Bush on Monday expressed gratitude for Seoul’s decision to send troops to Iraq to help reconstruct the war-devastated Middle Eastern nation.

In a telephone conversation with President Roh Moo-hyun Monday night, Bush explained the U.S. policy after the capture of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein at his hometown of Tikrit.

``President Bush thanked Roh for deciding to dispatch troops to Iraq and briefed him on the situation in the Middle East after the arrest of Saddam Hussein,’’ a Chong Wa Dae official said.

South Korea earlier decided to send 3,000 troops, consisting of combatants, engineering units and medics, to take charge of a specific area. Officials have cited Kirkuk as a likely site for troop deployment.

The Blue House official said the two presidents also focused on how to tackle the North Korean nuclear crisis.

The U.S. has placed increasing pressure on North Korea to scrap its nuclear weapons ambitions, citing Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi as a model for its intention to reform. Gadhafi declared last weekend he would abandon all activities to develop weapons of mass destruction.

Participating nations in the six-way talks to discuss the North’s nuclear problem have been working around the clock to bring the second round of meetings to fruition.

Bush phoned Chinese President Hu Jintao and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi Saturday to inform them of the U.S. stance on security issues, which included the military operation in Iraq.

jayshim@koreatimes.co.kr