Iraq calls on the donor states to draw a realistic programs for rebuilding

The minister of planning and developmental cooperation in Iraq, Mahdi al-Hafez, has called on the UN and the World Bank in their capacity as shoulders of the basic role in the rebuilding process of Iraq to draw realistic programs in order to implement them and coordinate with the official Iraqi sides to put it into actual implementation and accelerate the rebuilding operations.

In a speech, he had delivered at the inauguration of the third International meeting for the donor states for rebuilding Iraq in Doha, al-Hafez urged the donor states to revitalize their financial obligations and admitted that Iraq is in need of more support in various fields.

Al-Hafez admitted -- before the meeting which was presided over Japan and attended by representatives for 40 regional organizations and countries -- that the deterioration of the security condition has become an obstacle before developmental projects on all fronts as such a situation reduces the level of economic activity and hinders rebuilding plans.

The Iraqi minister also talked about the efforts of the government to alleviating economic burdens off the huge poor social strata in the Iraqi society, noting that 50% of the spending go to supporting services and needs for this group, especially for foodstuffs supplies and electricity.

Meantime, Qatar's minister of state for foreign affairs, Ahmad Bin Abdullah al-Mahmoud ,announced that a sum of USD 5 million will be given to Iraq's rebuilding fund. Qatar donated the fund a sum of USD 100 million in the previous meeting of the donors states on Iraq.