By Park Song-wu
Staff Reporter

The National Security Council (NSC) is expected to formally announce the timing of the troop dispatch to Iraq June 10 as all the arrangements for the deployment have been completed, according to government sources.

``The dispatch of the ``zayitun,’’ or olive, unit will begin late this month at the earliest if the NSC endorses the plan during its June 10 meeting,’’ a Defense Ministry official said.

But some 20 lawmakers plan to propose a resolution within this month, recommending the government withdraw its plan to send 3,700 additional soldiers to the war-torn country.

The Seoul government believes major hurdles faced by the troop dispatch have now been cleared with the Defense Ministry’s successful weeklong consultation in Irbil, a town in northern Iraq, where Korean troops are likely to be stationed.

The ministry has already received a welcoming letter from the Kurdistan Regional Government in Irbil. The self-governing body also promised to provide four square kilometers of land to the Korean troops and to let them use the main airport in Irbil, according to the source.

But Rep. Kim Won-wung of the ruling Uri Party said around 20 lawmakers, including Rep. Ko Jin-hwa of the Grand National Party and Rep. Kwon Young-ghil of the Democratic Labor Party, reached an agreement to present an anti-dispatch resolution during a session this month.

``Nothing can justify the war in Iraq,’’ Kim said. ``Furthermore, the situation there is seriously deteriorating, so Korean troops will be unable to carry out their original aim of reconstructing the devastated country.’’

He said they will seek to hold a hearing to re-examine the necessity of troop deployment. They plan to meet the leaders of civic groups on Thursday to form a cooperative body to tackle the government’s plan to send troops to Iraq.

Kwon Chin-ho, presidential aide on national security, reacted to the lawmakers’ opposition by saying, ``There are a variety of opinions in the National Assembly, but we will persuade opponents to keep the promise we’ve made with the United States.’’ The remarks were made during a meeting with reporters in Washington.

In February the 16th Assembly approved the government-submitted motion, which allows the country to send some 3,700 soldiers to a certain area of Iraq for peace and reconstruction efforts by the end of year.

The deployment of the rehabilitation forces, originally set for late April, has been delayed amid a worsening security situation in Iraq and mounting anti-war sentiment at home.

Repeated delays have generated speculation that the Seoul government is reconsidering the deployment plan due to security concerns, following Washington’s decision to relocate one-tenth of its 37,000 soldiers stationed in South Korea to Iraq.

im@koreatimes.co.kr