Denmark seeks to send 400 soldiers and police to Iraq

COPENHAGEN (AFP) Apr 11, 2003
Denmark wants to send 380 soldiers and 20 to 25 police officers to Iraq to protect humanitarian aid and keep public order, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Friday.

The exact makeup of the deployment will be decided following discussions with other political parties, Rasmussen said, adding that the government did not require UN approval to send the troops.

The far-right Danish People's Party, which supports the move, said it was essential to help Iraqi refugees in Denmark get home.

Denmark is one of a handful of countries having contributed arms and soldiers to the US-led war on Iraq.

So far, the government has contributed a corvette, a submarine and 160 crew.

SPACE.WIRE