State Department warns of forced service in Iraq

From Elise Labott CNN

Washington (CNN) -- U.S. diplomatists may be forced to function in Republic Of Iraq adjacent twelvemonth if adequate qualified campaigners make not use for certain jobs, the State Department warned employees Tuesday.

Some diplomatists may be forced to function in the new U.S. embassy composite in Baghdad, Iraq.

A similar menace to name up diplomatists last twelvemonth drew fire among foreign service officers. Many of them objected to being forced to work in a warfare zone, even though Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Republic Of Republic Of Iraq was the department's priority.

A cablegram to employees, obtained by CNN, said the State Department would soon get to place campaigners for occupations at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, and other provinces.

"We confront a growth challenge of supply and demand in the 2009 staffing cycle," according to the cable.

The cablegram added that no other unfastened State Department occupations would be filled until the occupations were filled. It also noted that more than than 20 percentage of the foreign service's 12,000 military officers have got already served in Republic Of Iraq and , considered the two major adversity posts.

In 2007 the issue caused an tumult in the State Department, resulting in a disputatious town hall-style meeting in October. One functionary called the order to function in Republic Of Iraq "a possible decease sentence." Don't Miss

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"I just have got no regard for the whole procedure because you've demonstrated a deficiency of regard for your ain colleagues," said foreign service military officer Jack Croddy.

"Thank you for that comment. It's full of inaccuracies, but that's OK," Harry Seth Thomas Jr., manager full general of the foreign service, shot back.

Others pointed out the hazards of such as assignments, considering the dangers of a warfare zone, deficiency of security and regular rocket onslaughts on U.S. personnel.

Rice, who did not go to the meeting, tried to calm down things by underscoring the State Department's efforts to make "everything that we can to seek and protect our diplomats."

However, she said, "This is one of the peak precedence undertakings of the United States, and we're going to ran into our obligations."

In the end, the establish enough military volunteers to fill up the needful posts. The up-to-the-minute cablegram states functionaries trust the same thing will go on this year.