WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (AFP) - The United States on Wednesday welcomed Hungary's proposal to extend the mission of its troops in Iraq by three months, but ignored Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany's vow to withdraw them by the end of March 2005.
The State Department also complained bitterly about news coverage of Hungary's move to keep its soldiers in Iraq beyond their initial December 31 mandate, and rejected suggestions the withdrawal timetable was a sign the US-led coalition is weakening.
"Frankly ... I take some exception to the way people are reporting the decision that Hungary made to extend its time in Iraq by three months," spokesman Richard Boucher said. "That's the decision that Hungary made. That's what the Iraqi government requested.
"The Iraqi government requested that they extend their time for a period like this," he told reporters. "That's the news today and that's good and we welcome that."
Hungary has 300 troops in Iraq serving in the coalition but their deployment is unpopular and Gyurcsany is facing growing calls for the soldiers to be pulled out.
Earlier Wednesday in Budapest, the prime minister said the troops would remain in Iraq through elections set to be held by the end of January, but would not stay beyond past March 31.
"To stay there until the elections are held is our duty," Gyurcsany said. "To stay there much longer is impossible. That is why by March 31, 2005, we are withdrawing our troops from Iraq."
Gyurcsany's Socialist-Liberal coalition government needs a two-thirds parliamentary majority to extend the mandate of the troops beyond December 31. The defense ministry said the request would be made to lawmakers on Monday.
Hungary is one of 30 countries that contributed troops to the US-led force in Iraq in March 2003. Several allies have since withdrawn, including the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Philippines and Spain.
Washington has expressed disappointment at those pull-outs, but Boucher refused to accept Hungary's stance as a defeat and said decisions on deployments had to be made by each coalition member's government in consultation with the military.
"We've always said that these military adjustments need to take into account the situation on the ground, need to be based on the situation on the ground," he said. "Some people arrive and some people go and some people expand and some people cut down."
11/03/2004 19:21 GMT - AFP