U.S. Offers Additional Training, as Georgia Boosts Presence in Iraq

On November 4 the Unites States welcomed Georgia’s decision to increase its troops in Iraq from the current 159 to 850.

Spokesman of the U.S. Department of State Richard Boucher said that the U.S. will offer additional training to help Georgia sustain this deployment.

He added that representatives from the U.S. European Command will make an assessment to figure out Georgian troops? needs in this respect.

He also said that Georgian troops in Iraq will ?provide security for the United Nations’ presence in Iraq.?

?This latest deployment by Georgia will increase the total number of its troops in Iraq from 159 to 850. It underscores Georgia’s commitment to partnership with the people of Iraq and their friends around the world in pursuit of peace, prosperity, and democracy in Iraq. The United States will offer additional training to help Georgia sustain this deployment, following an assessment by the U.S.-European command of their needs,? Richard Boucher said at a news briefing on November 4.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on November 4, that the United States will launch a new, large-scale military assistance program for Georgian troops in peace support operations.

?Because of our active engagement in the peacekeeping operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, the United States announced a new program; training of the Georgian troops in peace support operations will be carried out in frames of this new program. Twice as many troops will be trained within the frames of the new program than were trained during the previous assistance program,? Saakashvili said at a news conference after talks with visiting NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on November 4.

The United States allocated USD 64 million to help Georgia in training about 2,400 troops in frames of the Georgia Train-and-Equip Program (GTEP) in 2002-2004.