Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Thursday said Iraq wants the Japanese government to extend the humanitarian assistance mission in Iraq after the current operation expires next month.

Zebari told his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso during a working luncheon in Tokyo that Iraq needs the Self-Defense Forces troops to stay there since now is a crucial time for his country as it is undergoing a security transition, Kyodo News reported, citing a Japanese official.

The 600-strong Japanese ground troops are supposed to start with drawing on Dec. 14, one day before the elections for the national assembly in Iraq.

Aso said Japan will "decide soon" on the SDF deployment, taking into account its "role and responsibility in the international community and the situation of the reconstruction aid.

"Zebari arrived in Japan on Wednesday on a four-day visit. Before the luncheon, the foreign ministers signed a document which exempts Iraq from paying back 80 percent of the US$7.6 billion debts it owes to Japan.

(Xinhua News Agency November 25, 2005)