Rice defends forced diplomatic assignments to Iraq

By Sue Pleming

SHANNON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday defended her decision to force U.S. diplomats to serve in Iraq and said they had an obligation to take on such difficult assignments.

Many diplomats are incensed following a U.S. State Department decision last week to identify "prime candidates" who may have to accept compulsory one-year tours in Iraq or risk losing their jobs.

In her first public comments on the staffing directive, Rice conceded it was a "sensitive issue" but said people must serve where they were needed and Iraq was a priority.

"In a sense, the fact that so many people have volunteered and have served, I would hope others would think about their obligation not only to the country but to those who have already served to make sure that these difficult assignments are shared across the service," Rice told reporters traveling with her to Turkey where she will attend a conference on Iraq.

More than 200 diplomats have been told they are in a pool of people who may be forced to go to Iraq to fill 48 positions for which no qualified candidates have volunteered.

At an emotional meeting at the State Department on Wednesday, diplomats complained about the enforced assignments and questioned why they read about the move via news reports rather than heard from Rice herself.

One diplomat said it was a "potential death sentence" to serve in Baghdad. Mortar rounds frequently land in the heavily fortified "Green Zone" where the U.S. embassy is located.

"I am very sorry that the recounting of the comments of a few people left the impression that somehow the Foreign Service doesn't want to serve in Iraq," said Rice before a refueling stop in Ireland.