Saturday, April 21, 2007
Australia to play bigger role in Iraq reconstruction
(AFP) - A more than two-month-old security plan for Baghdad is heading in the “right” direction despite efforts by insurgents to undermine it, Australian Defence Minister Brendon Nelson said on Saturday. Nelson’s unannounced visit to the Iraqi capital comes a day after US Defence Secretary Robert Gates wound up a two-day trip to check on the progress of the crackdown.
A number of high-profile car bombings killed more than 200 people this week in Baghdad despite the presence of some 80,000 Iraqi and US troops on the capital’s mean streets. “The security plan currently in action is going in the right direction despite the challenges,” Nelson said in his talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
A statement from Maliki’s office said Nelson pledged Australia’s ”full support” for the Iraqi government, particularly in developing the country’s dilapidated infrastructure. “Our country is intent to play a bigger role in the reconstruction drive that is currently on in Iraq,” the statement quoted Nelson as saying. Australia has around 1,400 troops in Iraq, of which 550 are combat troops and largely deployed in the south alongside British forces.
A number of high-profile car bombings killed more than 200 people this week in Baghdad despite the presence of some 80,000 Iraqi and US troops on the capital’s mean streets. “The security plan currently in action is going in the right direction despite the challenges,” Nelson said in his talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
A statement from Maliki’s office said Nelson pledged Australia’s ”full support” for the Iraqi government, particularly in developing the country’s dilapidated infrastructure. “Our country is intent to play a bigger role in the reconstruction drive that is currently on in Iraq,” the statement quoted Nelson as saying. Australia has around 1,400 troops in Iraq, of which 550 are combat troops and largely deployed in the south alongside British forces.
Labels: Australia, Brendon Nelson, Nouri Al-Maliki, reconstruction
