WASHINGTON, Nov 11: US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Monday the United States wanted other countries to provide “a lot of troops” to help ensure the success of US-led efforts to stabilize Iraq.

Mr Rumsfeld told reporters the United States was seeking troops in larger numbers from 14 countries, in addition to 32 others that already have provided some troops in Iraq.

“I would like to see a lot of troops from other countries. And I’ll tell you why. I think it’s important for other countries to have a commitment to Iraq, and to the success in Iraq,” he told reporters at the Foreign Press Center here.

There are currently about 22,000 troops from countries other than the United States in Iraq, grouped in two multinational divisions in the southern part of the country. About 130,000 US troops are in the country.

But as attacks on US forces have mounted, Washington has had trouble convincing other countries to come forth with more troops.

A troop offer by Turkey was withdrawn last week after the Iraqi Governing Council opposed the deployment of Turkish troops in the country.

South Korea’s government is facing mounting domestic opposition to the US request for troops, and President Roh Moo-Hyun convened a meeting with his national security adviser to discuss the size and timing of a deployment of South Korean troops.

“South Korea believed that the dispatch of some 3,000 troops is appropriate, but the United States expected the deployment of a bigger contingent,” South Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-Hyuk said in Seoul.

Mr Rumsfeld, who was asked about the comment, said each country would have to make its own decisions.

“We would like to see it with larger numbers,” he said. “But we don’t want it to be countries that don’t want to be there, or countries that don’t want larger numbers there. Because we feel people ought to do that which they believe is in their best interest.”

“Each country has to decide what part of that they would like to play. Would they like to be part of something that is historic, and has the potential to do something truly important for a terribly troubled region in the world,” he said. “I think most countries would like to.” —AFP