Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has expressed "full sympathy" with South Korea's decision to send thousands more troops to Iraq, Seoul officials said yesterday.

Abdullah, who is current head of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the world's largest grouping of Islamic states, made the comment during summit talks with South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun, they said.

"OIC and NAM chairman Abdullah expressed his full sympathy with our explanation that South Korea's dispatch of troops will contribute to rebuilding Iraq and hoped peace will come early in Iraq," President Roh's office said in a statement released after the 80-minute summit.

First visit

Seoul has stepped up diplomatic efforts to inform Islamic countries that the 3,000-strong deployment to northern Iraq would be limited to relief work after the beheading of a translator in June raised fears of further attacks against South Koreans.

South Korea already has 660 army engineers and medics operating in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah.

Badawi, who is also rotating head of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) of developing countries, is on his first visit to South Korea since taking office in October and will leave the country on Tuesday.