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The decision to set a firm limit undercut President Bush's effort to hold the multinational force together since Spain pulled out its 1,300 soldiers earlier this year. The interim Iraqi government asked Hungary a few weeks ago to keep its troops there for about another year. Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany said he would ask parliament to extend the troops' current mandate, which expires Dec. 31, until March 31. Hungary's largest opposition party, which wants the soldiers home by year's end, signaled it likely would block the move. "We are obliged to stay there until the (Iraqi) elections. To stay longer is an impossibility," Gyurcsany said. Iraq's elections are to be held by Jan. 31. Hungary's ambassador to the United States, Andras Simonyi, said the government's decision to seek an extension until after the Iraqi elections was "serious and responsible." "It is important for Hungary to be present at this critical stage of Iraq's democratization process," he told The Associated Press. Hungary has a transportation contingent of 300 troops stationed in Hillah, south of Baghdad. One Hungarian soldier has died in Iraq, killed when a roadside bomb exploded by the water-carrying convoy he was guarding. [more]

Pictured above: American marines at a memorial service Wednesday in Baghdad for eight colleagues who were killed Saturday in an ambush near Falluja. [more]