IRAQ: Two of America's allies on Iraq announced yesterday that they were dispatching 146 more military personnel to the country.
A Romanian defence ministry spokesman said President Ion Iliescu had asked parliament to approve 56 more peacekeepers for Iraq, in addition to the 687 already there. And in Copenhagen, the Danish government decided to send 90 more soldiers by the end of October, in addition to the 410 Danish troops already in place outside Basra.
"There will be 30 \ officers, 20 medics and six civil service specialists who would help Iraq's public administration," the Romanian defence spokesman said. Romania and neighbouring Bulgaria, grateful for Washington's support for their bids to join NATO, have backed the US-led war in Iraq.
In Copenhagen, a defence ministry spokesman, Mr Uffe Kristensen, said: "There is broad political support for sending approximately 90 more troops."
Denmark would extend its military presence in Iraq by six months, until mid-2004, he said.
NATO member Denmark also supported the US-led war in Iraq.
The US has called for more non-US troops to counter violence in occupied Iraq, and Britain said on Monday it was sending around 1,200 extra troops.
Washington wants another 15,000 soldiers from other nations to back its own 130,000-strong force.
Meanwhile, as Turkey considers sending peacekeepers to Iraq, a US delegation is to visit Ankara this week for consultations on an issue that could affect the troop decision - Turkey's demand that Washington crack down on PKK Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.
The American team representing the State Department and other US agencies is due in the Turkish capital later in the week, US officials said.
"We take the issue of PKK-KADAK terrorism seriously. We are committed to eliminating this threat from Iraq to Turkey," one official said.
"We have designated PKK-KADAK as a terrorist organisation and we're going to be discussing this further with the Turkish authorities," he added.
According to officials on both sides, US-Turkish ties have improved in the past six months since Ankara bitterly disappointed Washington by refusing to help with the Iraq war.