Islamabad, April 14 (Reuters): Pakistan said today it was considering a US request to contribute troops to protect the UN in Iraq.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Masood Khan said Islamabad received the request from Washington last week. “We are considering it,” he told a news briefing. He said Pakistan’s decision would take into account the security situation in Iraq and other issues.

“We continue to monitor the situation in Iraq and of course peace and stability there are primary concerns,” he said. “We would be guided by the evolution of events in Iraq and by our stated position on sending troops to Iraq.”

Khan said Washington had asked for a “small number” of troops but declined to give further details.

Sending troops to Iraq is a sensitive issue in the predominantly Muslim Pakistan, where President Pervez Musharraf faces strong opposition from hardline Islamic groups for supporting the US-led war in neighbouring Afghanistan.

In the past Pakistan has ruled out committing troops to a multinational peacekeeping force in Iraq without the consent of the Iraqi people. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said yesterday violence in Iraq would prevent the world body from re-establishing a major presence in the foreseeable future.