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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tejek who wrote (188656)	5/17/2004 2:57:29 AM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1574493

USFK to Send Some of Troops to Iraq By Ryu Jin Staff Reporter The United States has informed South Korea of its plan to move some of its 37,000 troops stationed here to Iraq, officials in Seoul said on Monday. The redeployment plan, if materialized, will likely affect significantly Seoul¡¯s plan to send some 3,000 additional forces for Iraqi rehabilitation efforts, which has repeatedly been delayed since April, as well as the security posture on the Korean theater. ``The U.S. has told us it needs to select some of its troops in South Korea and send them on a rotation basis to Iraq to cope with the worsening situation in Iraq,¡¯¡¯ said Kim Sook, head of the Foreign Ministry¡¯s North American Bureau. ``Nothing has been decided yet. The two sides are in the initial state of discussion on the matter,¡¯¡¯ he explained. But some media reports said a brigade, some 4,000 soldiers, from the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division would be sent to the Middle East within the next few weeks. In Washington, a senior defense official confirmed the Pentagon plan, The Associated Press reported. The news agency quoted the unnamed official as saying ``the shift was not imminent but would be part of the next rotation of American troops in Iraq, which is scheduled to begin late this summer.¡¯¡¯ Long rumored but often denied, the reorganization of the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) would mark a historic move by the Pentagon, experts said. It underscores the degree to which the U.S. military, while serving in a region, can be stretched to provide enough forces for other major conflicts. ``The 2nd Infantry Division has been deployed as a fixture in Korea,¡¯¡¯ Kim Sung-han, a professor at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security, told The Korea Times. ``The latest development means the division cannot be an exception of the Pentagon plan to reshape its forces¡¯ global presence.¡¯¡¯ He added the U.S. forces, once sent to Iraq, might not return to Korea even after their mission in Iraq were to be completed. The U.S. has kept 37,000 troops in South Korea since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Seoul has feared a cut in U.S. military presence may weaken the two allies¡¯ combined defense posture against North Korea. While indicating its plan to redeploy its forces in Korea, the U.S. reiterated that it would strengthen rather than weaken the allies¡¯ deterrence against the communist North, with newer weapons, including Patriot anti-missile systems. A 14,000-strong flagship of U.S. combat force, located near the heavily fortified border, the 2nd Infantry Division has been the main U.S. combat force on the peninsula. One of its two brigades has traditionally been stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., as a reserve force for Korea. That brigade, which was the first in the Army to transition from tanks to the new Stryker wheeled vehicle, is already in Iraq. Seoul officials, in the meantime, denied allegations that the latest U.S. move was aimed at showing discontent about South Korea¡¯s lukewarm attitude about its troop contribution to Iraq and putting pressure to the Asian ally over the issue. South Korea¡¯s National Security Council (NSC) will have an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the U.S. request and the country¡¯s troop dispatch plan, according to officials. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush are understood to have touched the topic when the latter called Roh to congratulate him on his return to office after a two-month impeachment hiatus, according to sources. times.hankooki.com

To: tejek who wrote (188656)	5/17/2004 1:50:34 PM
From: E. T.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1574493

By using innocent peoples homes as shelters and gun/missile posts as terrorist staging points Hamas again is causing hardship on its own people. For god sake, open your eyes. Sharon has stated categorically he wants to get out of gaza, why then the escalation of Hamas terror? Hamas knows, as everyone else knows, Israel will respond in kind. Hamas escalation of terror only brings hardship on Palestinian people, which is ulimately Hamas's aim.