S Korea's Roh visits Iraq troops

Mr Roh spent two hours with the troops

President Roh Moo-hyun has paid a surprise visit to South Korean troops in Iraq, following his government's decision to extend their deployment.

Mr Roh ate breakfast with the troops, which are based in the northern Iraqi region of Irbil.

The contingent of 3,600 troops is the largest in Iraq after those of allies the US and Britain.

The government has asked South Korea's parliament to extend the unit's mission by a year until the end of 2005.

A parliamentary committee agreed to the plan on Wednesday, but the whole chamber has yet to vote on it.

A spokesman for Mr Roh, Lee Byung-wan, said the president wanted to support the troops.

"The purpose of the visit is clear. It is to cheer Zaytun," he said, referring to the code name for the South Korean operation in Iraq, which is helping to rebuild the country.

The troop despatch met with public protests when it was first agreed to in South Korea. The government in Seoul is keen to bolster its ties with the US, which it sees as an important counterbalance to the threat from North Korea.

The Japanese government is similarly motivated. It has about 550 troops in Iraq, and is expected to make a decision on whether to extend their mandate for another year later this week.