Brussels meeting discusses supporting Iraq

The four main sides taking part in the international conference which is held in Brussels on Wednesday for providing support to Iraq sought to perpetuate their visions concerning the Iraqi issue which is organized by the European Union and the USA. It is attended by 80 countries.

The Iraqi prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari stressed the need that the presence of foreign forces will be temporary in his country and Iraq has to assume the tasks on its own.

Al-Jaafari appealed to countries taking part in the conference to provide support for the security and economic operation in Iraq, similar to what happened in Germany following the second world war.

In her speech, the US Secretary Of State Condaleezza Rice centered on the need that the Iraqi government enhance security and open up its political and economic systems and urged all countries to provide material support it had promised Baghdad of.

The secretary general of the UN noted in his speech before the conferees that the rebuilding of Iraq will be in actions rather than words, noting the need to concentrate on the political side for reforms.

For its part, the European Union renewed on behalf of Luxembourg's foreign minister Jan Aslborn, whose country presides over the European Union presidency in its current session, its desire that the UN will play a genuine and pivotal role in Iraq.

Many observers ruled the conference to concluding important decisions. Those expected that the main decisions of the conference is the call to enhance monitoring on the Iraqi borders, especially with Syria and underlining the importance of establishing and strengthening diplomatic relations between Baghdad and the Arab states.