The
Hungarian National Assembly voted unanimously Monday to send a
contingent of three hundred military personnel to Iraq to help the
international reconstruction efforts there. Hungarian troops will be
mostly taking part in transportation-related and humanitarian tasks.
Lieutenant-Colonel
Mátyás Sramkó,
who participated in
the reconstruction efforts in Bosnia in the 1990s, will be commander
of the contingent, members of which will begin assessing the situation
in Iraq later this month.
The
Hungarian Minister of Defense, Ferenc Juhász,
said of the Hungarian participation in Iraq: "This is a chance for
Hungarians to take part in the creation of a new world order," and
expressed his confidence that the Hungarian troops will again perform
their duties in a way which will make their country proud.
