SEOUL: South Korea will use an upcoming visit by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to seek support among Islamic states for its deployment of troops to Iraq, a presidential official said today.

Abdullah, who heads the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), is due here on Sunday for a three-day visit at the invitation of President Roh Moo-Hyun, a presidential Blue House statement said.

Abdullah, also head of the 116-nation Non-Aligned Movement of developing states, will meet Roh on Monday for talks focused on enhancing bilateral ties between their countries, which started their diplomatic relationship in 1960.

'Understanding' sought

South Korea would also use the meeting to seek "understanding" and support from the Islamic community and developing nations for its despatch of 3,600 troops to Iraq to assist with relief and reconstruction, a Blue House official said.

The troops are to be deployed to the Kurdish-controlled town of Arbil in northern Iraq for several weeks beginning this month.

Alarmed at the execution of a South Korean translator by Islamic militants in June, South Korean officials fear the presence of foreign troops in the Kurdish zone may trigger attacks by Iraqi insurgents.

They believe Islamic countries' approval of the troop deployment would help to ensure the safety of South Koreans in Iraq and other Middle East countries.

South Korea's decision to send the troops in response to a US request has provoked massive protests at home.

Abdullah, who will be on his first official visit to Seoul since he took office in October, is also scheduled to meet with business leaders and attend a business forum.