Forced Iraq Postings 'May Be Necessary'

[Hissyspit]

Source: Washington Post

Forced Iraq Postings 'May Be Necessary'
Volunteers Fill About Half of Embassy's 48 Open Slots, State Department Says

By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 11, 2007; Page A19

Four days before a deadline for Foreign Service officers to volunteer to go to Iraq or face the prospect of being ordered there, the State Department notified employees yesterday that "about half" of 48 open assignments there for next year have been filled.

"This reduces but does not eliminate the possibility that directed assignments may be necessary," Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte wrote in an e-mailed update. Filling the remaining jobs is still "the Department's priority," he said, adding that he is optimistic that more will volunteer.

With 26 positions still open, however, it appeared increasingly unlikely that they will all be filled by Tuesday's deadline. Both Negroponte and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have made clear in recent days that they intend to proceed with a mandatory call-up if spots remain unstaffed.

"If I need somebody to serve in Iraq, they have to serve there," Rice said in an interview on Friday with the Dallas Morning News.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/10/AR2007111001472.html?hpid=topnews