11-30-06

韩国计划明年底前从伊拉克撤军 (South Korea Plans Withdrawal of Troops in Iraq by End of Next Year)

韩国表示，它计划2007年年底前撤出驻伊拉克的所有军队。韩国官员星期四说，韩国政府将在6月底以前制定出结束伊拉克使命的计划。韩国是继美国和英国之后，向伊拉克派遣维和部队最多的国家。

2004年，韩国向伊拉克部署了大约3500部队。自那以后，韩国已经把驻军减少到了2300人。韩国是美国领导的伊拉克多国部队中最新一个宣布撤军时间表的国家。这个星期早些时候，英国宣布，计划明年年底前撤走数千部队。英国目前在伊拉克南部地区部署了7200人。波兰也表示，要在明年年底前撤走目前仍在伊拉克的所有900名军人。

South Korea says it plans to withdraw all its troops from Iraq by the end of 2007. South Korean officials said Thursday the government will draw up a plan by the end of June to wrap up the mission. Seoul has been the third largest contributor of international forces in Iraq, behind the United States and Britain.

In 2004, South Korea deployed about 35-hundred troops to Iraq. Since then it has reduced the contingent to 23-hundred. South Korea is the latest member of the U.S.-led multinational coalition in Iraq to announce a timetable for withdrawal. Earlier this week, Britain said it expects to withdraw thousands of troops next year. Britain has 72-hundred soldiers in southern Iraq.

Poland also says it will pull its remaining 900 soldiers out of Iraq by the end of next year.

日本国会批准防卫厅升格为防卫省 (Japanese Parliament Endorses Upgrade for Defense Agency)

日本国会众议院投票通过把日本防卫厅提升为防卫省。如果得到参议院的批准，这一升级将意味着防卫大臣可以召开内阁会议，推行新立法，对国防预算拥有更大的控制权。

日本首相安倍晋三说，这一提升必要，让日本可以对任何情况做出恰当的反应。第二次世界大战以来，日本自卫队只能参加非战斗行动。日本正在考虑修订宪法的一个条款。日本这一条款禁止使用武力解决国际争端。日本宪法规定，军事力量只能用于自卫。

Japan's lower house of Parliament has voted to upgrade the country's Defense Agency into a ministry. If approved by the upper house, the upgrade means the country's defense minister will be able to convene cabinet meetings, push new legislation and have greater control over the national defense budget.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said the upgrade is needed to allow Japan to respond appropriately to any situation. Japan's self-defense forces has been allowed to participate only in non-combat operations since World War Two. Japan is considering legislation to amend a clause in its constitution that bars the use of force in settling international disputes, and allows a military force for self-defense only.