Text Fwd: Parliament committee approves Seoul's plan to dispatch peacekeeping troops to Haiti

Yonhap News
Parliament committee approves Seoul's plan to dispatch peacekeeping troops to Haiti
By Tony Chang

SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday endorsed a government plan to send 240 peacekeeping troops, comprised mostly of engineers, to Haiti this month to aid in the reconstruction of the quake-stricken nation.

South Korean peacekeeping troops, including 120 military engineers, will be stationed in Leogane, 40 kilometers west of the capital Port-au-Prince, until the end of this year, the Foreign Ministry said.

The contingent will also include 22 medics, the ministry said.

Following the committee's approval, the government's plan must now be approved by the Assembly's plenary session on Tuesday or Wednesday before it can take effect.

"For the time being, the primary mission will be on reconstruction," Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told the committee, adding that its operations have been and will be decided through close consultation with the U.N.

South Korea has pledged over US$16 million worth of relief supplies in the form of both government and civilian assistance to the Caribbean nation.

odissy@yna.co.kr