Ukraine's prime minister on Monday called for reducing the country's troop contingent in Iraq, openly disagreeing with top defense officials who want to increase the force. The statement by Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych reflected deep divisions over what is likely to be a key issue in Ukraine's Oct. 31 presidential election, in which Yanukovych is a top contender.
Ukraine opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq, but afterwards became one of the largest contributors of troops to the postwar security efforts. Its 1,576 troops are the fourth-largest non-U.S. contingent. On Sunday, Defense Minister Yevhen Marchuk said that a new brigade to be rotated into Iraq beginning in September would consist of 1,722 - an increase of nearly 10 percent. But "I believe the contingent should be reduced," Yanukovych said, according to the news agency Interfax. Yanukovych's statement appeared to be aimed at boosting his ratings among Ukrainians who strongly opposed the deployment. Yanukovych is widely seen as running in second place in the presidential campaign behind opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, who supports the deployment even though many in his political bloc do not. Seven Ukrainian soldiers have died in Iraq, three of them in combat in April. About 20 have been wounded. The Ukrainian troops serve under the Polish command in southern Iraq. |