The Ukrainian parliament on Friday called on outgoing President Leonid Kuchma to withdraw the nation's 1,600 peacekeepers from Iraq, where they make up the fourth-largest contingent. The chamber voted 257-0 in support of the proposal. Forty deputies who were present did not take part in the vote. Most Ukrainians want the troops brought home, and the deployment has been a rare topic of agreement between the two rivals vying for the presidency. Both opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych support a pullout.
