Defence Minister visits Czech unit in Basra, Iraq

The Defence Minister Miroslav Kostelka has left for a one-day trip to the Iraqi city of Basra to visit the Czech military police unit stationed there. Minister Kostelka is accompanied by the chief of staff Pavel Stefka. A one-hundred strong Czech police unit is operating in Basra in southern Iraq, training the local police force and instructors. As of July this year, six Czech military medical personnel are expected to start working in Basra at the request of the British troops. The trip is Minister Kostelka's first visit to Basra since last autumn.