"Slovenia is not taking part in the coalition for Iraq, and it is not intending to send its troops," Rupel told reporters who on Wednesday covered his meeting with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
Explaining a statement which PM Jansa gave yesterday, Rupel said the Slovene government was thinking of the possibility that a small group of Slovene officers, who a few days ago travelled to Jordan where they will train Iraqi security forces, might be transferred to Iraq due to the great security needs in that country.
The previous Slovene centre-left government stuck to the position that the Slovene engagement in Iraq would be possible only in compliance with a UN resolution, and that Ljubljana was willing to offer assistance in the training of Iraqi police and army members in third countries but not in Iraq or in Slovenia.
Rupel said that the change in the attitude of the current government was the consequence of the defusion of the situation in Iraq which was expected to ensue after the coming elections.
"For the time being there is no new decision, we are only thinking of it. We shall mull over the matter and this is not a change of policy," Rupel said.
Slovene Ambassador to the NATO headquarters in Brussels Matjaz Sinkovec said that Jansa had only promised that his cabinet would ponder on the matter in light of Iraq's great needs.
"If such a decision is made, instructors will be sent to Iraq to help train Iraqi security forces," Defence Minister Karel Erjavec said on Wednesday, adding that the priorities of the Slovene contribution to peace missions remained engagement in international operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.