By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
The government will submit a motion to the National Assembly to dispatch peacekeeping forces to earthquake-hit Haiti next month, a government source said Wednesday.
In a bid to gauge the current situation and local requirements, an inter-agency team will begin an on-site inspection Friday.
``As the United Nations is asking for peacekeeping forces to be sent within a few weeks, we are trying to make prompt progress,'' the source said, asking to remain anonymous. ``Since political parties understand the necessity of the troop dispatch, we expect the Assembly to quickly approve the motion,'' he said.
The government plans to send forces to the Caribbean country in February at the earliest to join international relief efforts to rebuild the devastated state.
Earlier, the ruling and opposition parties agreed to convene an extraordinary Assembly session from Feb. 1 through March 2.
Under the dispatch plan, about 220 soldiers and police officers will join the U.N.-led peacekeeping operation but exact numbers will be determined after the survey, the source said.
The inspection team consisting of 10 officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of National Defense, the Joint Chief of Staff and the Army, will conduct a seven-day assessment until Feb. 4.
As soon as the group finishes its inspection, the government will submit to the United Nations detailed plans on the location and number of troops and their activities, and sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on member countries to join international relief efforts for Haiti, where a powerful earthquake killed more than 120,000 people.
Last week, the government announced plans to offer $10 million in aid to disaster victims there in cooperation with local non-governmental organizations.