Peacekeepers postpone Iraq deployment

"Deployment of 150 Azeri peacekeepers to Iraq will be postponed," Press Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Ramiz Malikov told Azernews on Monday.

He said that such cases are peculiar to war and that the trip will occur later.

On Defence Minister Col-Gen Safar Abiyev's official trip to the United States, he noted that the visit remains on the agenda.

The delay is due to the lack of any appropriate agreement between Azerbaijan and the Pentagon. It is believed that the defence minister will conclude such a document during his official visit.

In Kosovo and Afghanistan Azeri peacekeepers took part in operations without any official agreement, however there they were part of the Turkish contingent.

The Azerbaijani troops, which were to serve in Iraq for six months at the first stage, were scheduled to leave on May 12.

The peacekeepers will be involved in safeguarding the stability and historical monuments in Iraqi cities such as Mosul, Kirkuk, Kerbala, and Najaf.

The postponement comes after Milli Maclis (parliament) unanimously approved a draft resolution on participation by Azerbaijani armed forces in peacekeeping operations in Iraq within the international coalition.

According to deputy chairman of parliament Ziyafat Asgarov most of the 150 peacekeepers (14 officers, 16 warrant officers and 120 private soldiers) to be sent to Iraq are fluent in Arabic and English.

The Azerbaijani military will maintain public order and carry out patrol duties in Kerbala, Mosul, Najaf, and Kirkuk in Northern Iraq. They have received full training on Iraqi history and norms of international law.

During the discussions of the issue, the Communist party chairman, MP Ramiz Ahmadov, protested at Azerbaijani soldiers' involvement in peacekeeping mission in Iraq considering it more reasonable to provide humanitarian aid to Iraq.