S. Korea hails reelection of Afghan president

By Lee Chi-dong

SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Thursday congratulated Afghan president Hamid Karzai on his reelection and vowed continued support for the reconstruction of the war-torn nation as Seoul prepares to send hundreds of troops there.

"The government welcomes the reelection of President Karzai and plans to continue
cooperation for the peace, stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan,"
foreign ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said in a statement.
Earlier this week, Karzai was declared the winner of the country's controversial
presidential election. The Nov. 7 run-off ballot was canceled following the
withdrawal of the only challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, who accused the Afghan
election commission of favoring the current leader.
South Korea plans to send an inter-agency fact-finding team to Afghanistan this
month to gather information before deciding where to set up a base for the
Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) to be composed of scores of civilian aid
workers and around 300 troops tasked with protecting them.
Moon said at a press briefing that no exact date has been set for the team's trip.
South Korean officials want to keep its itinerary secret due to security concerns.
They said the troops are expected to be deployed early next year. South Korea
pulled its 200-strong medical and engineering troops from Afghanistan in 2007,
ending their five-year presence there.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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