Gov’t to send 500 peacekeepers to Iraq after all

The government has reportedly committed to send 500 troops and police officers as part of a peacekeeping mission to Iraq, said sources in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Manila originally planned to send a peacekeeping and humanitarian mission as part of the Philippines’ commitment as a member of a US coalition that supported the war on Iraq.

However, Washington has told Manila that it is in need of more troops than medical and emergency personnel.

The US State Department announced yesterday that there are now 30 countries, including the Philippines, that have committed to help bring to normal the situation in post-war Iraq.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said "military and police activities" needed to be carried out "to provide security for the Iraqi people."

An advance Philippine party has departed for Kuwait last Sunday to seek clearance from the US-led Coalition Provision Authority to pave the way for the deployment of the Philippine mission.

Special envoy to the Middle East Roy Cimatu, also the executive director of the task force of the Philippine humanitarian contingent to Iraq, is also in Kuwait to meet with Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Jaber Mubarak Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Foreign Minister Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.

Cimatu will finalize an agreement with Kuwait that would allow the Philippines to base troops in that country.

Aside from the Philippines, Azerbaijan, Britain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Estonia, Georgia, Honduras, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain and Ukraine have pledged their commitment to help the United States rehabilitate Iraq.