KYIV. April 24 (Interfax-Ukraine) - It is up to Kuwait to decide when the Ukrainian radiochemical battalion will return to Ukraine, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma said.
The Ukrainian battalion is supposed to stay in Kuwait for six months, Kuchma told a news conference in Kyiv on Thursday. "It is now up to Kuwait. They (the battalion - Interfax) may come back in six months, or earlier, or maybe Kuwait will ask to extend the period," Kuchma said.
"There is a parliamentary declaration, let us observe the agreement," he said.
The Ukrainian decontamination battalion includes 448 servicemen and was sent to Kuwait when the war in Iraq began. It is conducting radiation and chemical monitoring as well as various activities aimed at maintaining combat preparedness. In accordance with a treaty between Ukraine and Kuwait, the battalion will stay in Kuwait for six months and this period may be extended by three months.