No troop dispatch commitment during Roh-Bush summit: South Korea

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20031014/wl_mideast_afp/skorea_us_troops_iraq&cid=1514&ncid=1473

SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea will give no commitment to dispatching troops to Iraq as requested by Washington when President Roh Moo-Hyun meets his US counterpart George W. Bush next week, officials said.

Roh and Bush are to hold a summit on October 20 in Bangkok, Thailand, on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

"It will be difficult for the upcoming South Korea-US summit to decide on whether or not to send troops," Ban Ki-Moon, chief advisor for foreign affairs for Roh, told journalists.

"Instead, it will be a chance for President Roh to explain the government's position, as the issue of dispatching troops to Iraq has become a key security issue."

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