Defence Ministry to propose compromise plan on foreign missions

The Defence Ministry will propose a compromise plan on the deployment of Czech troops in foreign missions for this year. The plan, which is to be made public on Monday, envisages cutting back on the number of Czech troops in the ISAF peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan and gradually withdrawing the country’s troops from Iraq. The government coalition in December failed to push through the original proposal on the deployment of Czech troops in foreign missions in 2009. The government then used its constitutional right to maintain the forces abroad for a period of two months.