It's reported that a member of the territorial assembly in the Northern Mariana islands will keep his seat despite having to leave the territory for eventual deployment to Iraq.
The Saipan Tribune newspaper reports that CNMI congressman Ray Yumul hasn't resigned even though he's to leave today for an 18-month training period and deployment to Iraq.
The House leadership spokesman Charles Reyes says that Mr Yumul, as an army reservist, is federally protected from any form of discrimination.
Mr Yumul's two-year term will expire in January 2006, but he is likely to be back from Iraq up to two months afterwards.
