Posted on 11/29/2004 12:07:37 PM PST by areafiftyone
TOKYO - Japan's defense chief on Sunday said that Japanese troops could remain in Iraq until late 2005, a year longer than their current mandate. Some 500 Japanese troops are on a humanitarian mission in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah. Their mandate expires Dec. 14, and the government hasn't yet decided if the troops will stay. Asked about a potential pullout, Defense Minister Yoshinori Ono said several factors had to be considered, including whether the troops had fulfilled their mission to help rebuild the country. ``Another factor to consider is that a mission by multinational troops expires next December - that could be one cutoff point,'' Ono said. Ono was referring to a December 2005 deadline set by a United Nations Security Council resolution that included steps to establish a constitutionally based government that would end the mandate of the U.S.-led multinational force in Iraq. Many in Japan strongly oppose the country's troop deployment, and the issue has been debated fiercely in parliament in recent days. Fears for the safety of the troops have increased, due in part to recent mortar attacks on the Japanese camp. The government has insisted the area still qualifies as a noncombat zone, meeting legal restrictions authorizing the troop dispatch.
Perhaps you folks that simply MUST have a foreign car.....should remember this...
Forget the German, Swedish and French (most already have) cars...
Give some serious consideration to the better built, more reliable and less costly Japanese cars...
Semper Fi
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.