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Armenian contingent ready to deploy in Iraq

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  • Armenian contingent ready to deploy in Iraq

    ArmenPress
    Jan 6 2005

    ARMENIAN CONTINGENT READY TO DEPLOY IN IRAQ

    YEREVAN, JANUARY 6, ARMENPRESS: A spokesman for Armenian defense
    ministry told Armenpress that a 46 non-combat platoon is ready to be
    deployed in Iraq. The spokesman, Seyran Shahsuvarian, said the
    platoon is composed of 30 truck drivers, 10 sappers, three doctors
    and three officers.
    Armenia's parliament voted to send 46 non-combat troops to Iraq on
    December 24, a move that drew sharp criticism from many Armenians and
    opposition groups.
    The troops could serve in Iraq for up to a year and would only
    conduct humanitarian operations. "There is not, and will not be an
    Armenian military presence in Iraq,' Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
    had said earlier. "In the humanitarian aspect, it is preferable for
    Armenia to contribute to the postwar reconstruction of Iraq, in
    establishing democracy in this country which has important
    significance for the region and which could have an impact on the
    Caucasus.'
    The troops would serve as part of the Polish-led multinational
    force that operates in a belt of territory south of Baghdad.
    The proposal had been widely criticized by opposition parties,
    many Armenians and even the 30,000-strong Armenian community in Iraq,
    which fears being targeted for attacks if the troops were sent.
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