Thursday, July 19, 2007
International Compact with Iraq meeting to be held Friday
(KUNA) - A meeting of the International Compact with Iraq will be held Friday with the participation of Sinan Al-Shabibi, the Governor of Iraq's Central Bank, who will present the mid-year Progress Report on the implementation of the Compact, deputy spokesperson Marie Okabe told the daily press briefing Tuesday.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will chair the meeting, will deliver a speech and so will Ibrahim Gambari, his Special Advisor on the issue. The Report is scheduled to be published tomorrow Wednesday ahead of the meeting.
The International Compact is an initiative of the Government of Iraq for a new partnership with the international community. Its purpose is to achieve a National Vision for Iraq which aims to consolidate peace and pursue political, economic and social development over the next five years.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who will chair the meeting, will deliver a speech and so will Ibrahim Gambari, his Special Advisor on the issue. The Report is scheduled to be published tomorrow Wednesday ahead of the meeting.
The International Compact is an initiative of the Government of Iraq for a new partnership with the international community. Its purpose is to achieve a National Vision for Iraq which aims to consolidate peace and pursue political, economic and social development over the next five years.
Labels: Ibrahim Gambari, International Compact with Iraq, Iraq Central Bank, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Sinan Al-Shabibi
Sunday, May 06, 2007
$30 bn. in financial commitments for Iraq
Economy
(BI-ME) - In support of the International Compact on Iraq, a five-year plan for peace and development in the war-torn country co-launched today by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, world leaders assembled in Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt have pledged their partnership with the Iraqi government, with over US$30 billion in specific financial commitments announced so far.
The 74 delegations unanimously adopted a resolution reaffirming their shared commitment to a secure and stable Iraq and emphasising the need for improved governance, anti-corruption measures, equal protection for all Iraqis and an institutional framework based on the rule of law.
UN Secretary General Ban, in a press conference following the adoption of the resolution, said he was pleased that a number of countries have already made concrete commitments, estimated at over US$30 billion. "This includes commitments of debt relief on the Paris Club terms, from Bulgaria, China, Saudi Arabia and Greece. It also includes financial commitments from the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, China, Denmark and Korea, and other key participants," he said.
"Today's meeting demonstrated that there is broad support for the people and government of Iraq in overcoming current challenges," Ban said. "This is not an easy task, and we will face numerous obstacles." He pledged the world body's full support. "The United Nations stands ready to assist the government of Iraq in the implementation of the Compact."
Under the Compact, the government will work to meet basic needs, protect the rights of all citizens and ensure the optimal use of the country's resources for the common good and the country's international partners are committed to providing financial, technical and political support.
The 74 delegations unanimously adopted a resolution reaffirming their shared commitment to a secure and stable Iraq and emphasising the need for improved governance, anti-corruption measures, equal protection for all Iraqis and an institutional framework based on the rule of law.
UN Secretary General Ban, in a press conference following the adoption of the resolution, said he was pleased that a number of countries have already made concrete commitments, estimated at over US$30 billion. "This includes commitments of debt relief on the Paris Club terms, from Bulgaria, China, Saudi Arabia and Greece. It also includes financial commitments from the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, China, Denmark and Korea, and other key participants," he said.
"Today's meeting demonstrated that there is broad support for the people and government of Iraq in overcoming current challenges," Ban said. "This is not an easy task, and we will face numerous obstacles." He pledged the world body's full support. "The United Nations stands ready to assist the government of Iraq in the implementation of the Compact."
Under the Compact, the government will work to meet basic needs, protect the rights of all citizens and ensure the optimal use of the country's resources for the common good and the country's international partners are committed to providing financial, technical and political support.
Labels: International Compact with Iraq, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Sharm el-Sheikh
Saturday, May 05, 2007
International Iraq conference ends on mixed note
Conference, International
(Arabian Business) - Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister has described a conference dedicated to stabilising and rebuilding his war-torn country as a major success. At the conclusion of the four day conference in Egypt, he called it "a historic day for Iraq," adding: "We go back to Baghdad with a message of hope, reinvigorated and feeling much more confident about the future. However, hopes that Iraq would secure commitments to write-off billions of dollars of debts were not fully realised.
Saudi Arabia said it is still negotiating with Iraq over writing off billions of dollars owed it by the war-torn country, and major creditors Kuwait and Russia failed to offer immediate debt relief. More than 60 countries and international organisations gathered for the conference, and managed to agree a blueprint for the stabilisation of Iraq that they called the International Compact. The agreement sets benchmarks to achieve a stable, united, democratic Iraq within five years. It defines international help for Iraq - including debt relief - but also sets conditions for the Baghdad government, particularly carrying out reforms aimed at giving Iraq's Sunni Arabs a greater role in the political process.
Saudi Arabia said it is still negotiating with Iraq over writing off billions of dollars owed it by the war-torn country, and major creditors Kuwait and Russia failed to offer immediate debt relief. More than 60 countries and international organisations gathered for the conference, and managed to agree a blueprint for the stabilisation of Iraq that they called the International Compact. The agreement sets benchmarks to achieve a stable, united, democratic Iraq within five years. It defines international help for Iraq - including debt relief - but also sets conditions for the Baghdad government, particularly carrying out reforms aimed at giving Iraq's Sunni Arabs a greater role in the political process.
Although the conference ended on a positive note, it also ended with issue of debt relief largely unconcluded. The Paris Club of affluent lender nations has already written off $100 billion of Iraq's debt, but the government still owes other countries over $50 billion; possibly as much as $62 billion. Saudi Arabia was expected to make a formal announcement to wipe out Iraq's debut, but its Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal said only that his country was in talks with Iraq "to have an appropriate solution to debts in line with rules of the Paris Club." The Paris Club had pledged to write-off only 80 percent of Iraq's debts.
A lack of accurate records could prove a sticking point in the negotiations. Saudi Arabia is reported by the United Nations as believing the debt to be anything between $15 billion and $18 billion. Throughout the final day of the conference, Arab diplomats underlined their demands that al-Maliki do more to embrace Sunni Arabs, including changing the constitution and ending a purge of former members of Saddam's ousted Baath party. Al-Maliki promised Baghdad would fulfill its side of the bargain, acknowledging "the international compact cannot take its natural path" unless the Iraqis do their part to achieve national reconciliation.
Labels: conference, International Compact with Iraq, Iraq, Paris Club, Sharm el-Sheikh
Friday, May 04, 2007
Creditor nations waive $30 bn of Iraqi debt
International, Conference
(Financial Times) - Creditor nations including the UK, Saudi Arabia and China have pledged to waive $30bn (£15.1bn) of Iraqi debt, about 60 per cent of what Baghdad estimates it owes other countries, Ban Ki-moon, United Nations secretary-general, said yesterday. Mr Ban was speaking at the end of the first day of a two-day conference in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el Sheikh dealing with the UN-sponsored International Compact with Iraq, which aims at winning support to stabilise and rebuild the country.
"A number of countries have made concrete commitments under the compact today. In particular, there was broad support for the terms of the Paris Club on Iraq's outstanding debt," said Mr Ban, referring to the decision by the international creditors' group to forgive 80 per cent of Iraq's debt. "Specific financial commitments made by particular countries are estimated at over $30bn," he told a news conference.
The figure included commitments by Bulgaria, China, Saudi Arabia, Greece and new commitments by the UK, Australia, Spain, Denmark and South Korea. Few could expect Iraq's creditors to collect anything more than a small fraction of what they owe, much of which was run up under the rule of Saddam Hussein.
"A number of countries have made concrete commitments under the compact today. In particular, there was broad support for the terms of the Paris Club on Iraq's outstanding debt," said Mr Ban, referring to the decision by the international creditors' group to forgive 80 per cent of Iraq's debt. "Specific financial commitments made by particular countries are estimated at over $30bn," he told a news conference.
The figure included commitments by Bulgaria, China, Saudi Arabia, Greece and new commitments by the UK, Australia, Spain, Denmark and South Korea. Few could expect Iraq's creditors to collect anything more than a small fraction of what they owe, much of which was run up under the rule of Saddam Hussein.
Labels: International Compact with Iraq, Iraqi debt, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Sharm el-Sheikh
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Iraq wins some debt relief at Sharm el-Sheikh
Conference
(Reuters) - Iraq won a trickle of debt relief pledges at a big international conference in Egypt on Thursday and the United States prepared for the highest-level contact with Syria in more than two years. Egypt and three East European countries agreed to waive debts owed by Iraq as part of an International Compact to support Iraqi institutions in exchange for political and economic reforms by the Baghdad government.
The first day of the two-day conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh is dedicated to the International Compact, a five-year plan to restore stability and economic prosperity through national reconciliation. But much of the attention is on whether the United States will abandon its longstanding reluctance to hold high-level talks with the Iranian and Syrian governments, as recommended by the Baker-Hamilton commission on Iraq last year.
In his opening speech to the two days of meetings in Egypt, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appealed for debt relief. "We call on everybody participating in this conference to write off the accumulated debts of Iraq," he said. Iraq sits on the world's third-largest proven crude oil reserves but is struggling to rebuild after four years of war.
Iraqi Finance Minister Bayan Jabor said the three Eastern European countries -- Slovenia, Bulgaria and Poland -- would agree to forgive 80 percent of Iraqi debt but did not say how much that would be. He said the European Union would grant Iraq $200 million, and he expected grants from some Asian countries as well. But James Dobbins, an analysts at the RAND Corporation, said debt relief was of secondary importance because the Iraqis are not paying off the money they owed anyway.
"It is a purely paper transaction. It's symbolic but it doesn't have any immediate effect," he said. Jabor said that Iraq had rejected as unacceptable an offer from Russia to forgive the debt it is owed by Baghdad in return for access to a major Iraqi oilfield. "The Russians are hesitant. They want investment in the Rumaila oilfield in return for eliminating the debt," he said. When Saudi Arabia announced last month that it was writing off 80 percent of the more than $15 billion it was owed by Iraq, Jabor estimated his country's debt at $140 billion.
The first day of the two-day conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh is dedicated to the International Compact, a five-year plan to restore stability and economic prosperity through national reconciliation. But much of the attention is on whether the United States will abandon its longstanding reluctance to hold high-level talks with the Iranian and Syrian governments, as recommended by the Baker-Hamilton commission on Iraq last year.
In his opening speech to the two days of meetings in Egypt, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appealed for debt relief. "We call on everybody participating in this conference to write off the accumulated debts of Iraq," he said. Iraq sits on the world's third-largest proven crude oil reserves but is struggling to rebuild after four years of war.
Iraqi Finance Minister Bayan Jabor said the three Eastern European countries -- Slovenia, Bulgaria and Poland -- would agree to forgive 80 percent of Iraqi debt but did not say how much that would be. He said the European Union would grant Iraq $200 million, and he expected grants from some Asian countries as well. But James Dobbins, an analysts at the RAND Corporation, said debt relief was of secondary importance because the Iraqis are not paying off the money they owed anyway.
"It is a purely paper transaction. It's symbolic but it doesn't have any immediate effect," he said. Jabor said that Iraq had rejected as unacceptable an offer from Russia to forgive the debt it is owed by Baghdad in return for access to a major Iraqi oilfield. "The Russians are hesitant. They want investment in the Rumaila oilfield in return for eliminating the debt," he said. When Saudi Arabia announced last month that it was writing off 80 percent of the more than $15 billion it was owed by Iraq, Jabor estimated his country's debt at $140 billion.
Labels: Bayan Jabor, Bulgaria, debt relief, Egypt, International Compact with Iraq, Poland, Rumaila field, Russia, Sharm al-Sheikh Conference, Slovenia
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Top diplomats arrive at Sharm el-Sheikh for Iraq conference
Conference, International
(AFP) - Top diplomats from around the world converged on the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday for the biggest diplomatic push to solve Iraq's woes since the 2003 invasion. Amid hopes the two days of high-level talks could help end the bloodshed in Iraq, speculation also abounded over the prospect of bilateral talks between the United States and Iran on the sidelines, the first in almost three decades.
On her way to Egypt, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the onus was on Iraq's neighbours to show their commitment to ending the violence, warning that their own stability was at stake. Completing a shift in US policy, Rice was expected to talk to Syria and Iran, who have been accused by Washington of funding and abetting Iraq's Sunni insurgency and Shiite militias respectively. A rumoured meeting with her Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, would mark the first bilateral talks between the foes' top diplomats since the United States cut relations in 1980. However, Iran has yet to give an unequivocal sign it is ready for talks and Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Mostavafi said on Tuesday the conditions were not right for a "dialogue" with Rice at the conference.
In the run-up to the landmark conference, Western and regional leaders have hammered home the same message that Iraq's influential neighbours need to do their share. As preparatory consultations kicked off in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh urged the international community to help rescue his country.
The Sharm el-Sheikh conference is the second attempt in two months to bring Iraq's neighbours together in a bid to reach a consensus on means of ending the carnage. In readiness for the 27 foreign ministers and 22 other delegations due to attend the talks, Egyptian police threw up a tight security cordon around the resort.
Rice was expected to arrive in Egypt later Wednesday. She was due to go straight into preliminary talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other officials.
The two-day conference starts in earnest on Thursday with the launch of the International Compact with Iraq (ICI), an initiative providing a framework for Iraq's security and economic development. US Treasury Deputy Secretary Robert Kimmitt said the talks would seek to achieve further debt relief for Iraq's embattled economy and set clear benchmarks for its increased integration. But he remained cautious on the results that could be expected from the talks.
On her way to Egypt, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the onus was on Iraq's neighbours to show their commitment to ending the violence, warning that their own stability was at stake. Completing a shift in US policy, Rice was expected to talk to Syria and Iran, who have been accused by Washington of funding and abetting Iraq's Sunni insurgency and Shiite militias respectively. A rumoured meeting with her Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki, would mark the first bilateral talks between the foes' top diplomats since the United States cut relations in 1980. However, Iran has yet to give an unequivocal sign it is ready for talks and Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Mostavafi said on Tuesday the conditions were not right for a "dialogue" with Rice at the conference.
In the run-up to the landmark conference, Western and regional leaders have hammered home the same message that Iraq's influential neighbours need to do their share. As preparatory consultations kicked off in Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh urged the international community to help rescue his country.
The Sharm el-Sheikh conference is the second attempt in two months to bring Iraq's neighbours together in a bid to reach a consensus on means of ending the carnage. In readiness for the 27 foreign ministers and 22 other delegations due to attend the talks, Egyptian police threw up a tight security cordon around the resort.
Rice was expected to arrive in Egypt later Wednesday. She was due to go straight into preliminary talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other officials.
The two-day conference starts in earnest on Thursday with the launch of the International Compact with Iraq (ICI), an initiative providing a framework for Iraq's security and economic development. US Treasury Deputy Secretary Robert Kimmitt said the talks would seek to achieve further debt relief for Iraq's embattled economy and set clear benchmarks for its increased integration. But he remained cautious on the results that could be expected from the talks.
Labels: Condoleezza Rice, International Compact with Iraq, Iraq, Manouchehr Mottaki, Sharm al-Sheikh Conference
Some governments baulk at Iraq contract
Region, Conference, Economy
(AP) - Some governments key to Iraq's future are balking at entering into an ambitious contract with the country that commits them to substantial aid in exchange for a promise of unity in Iraq within five years. The International Compact with Iraq, which is being launched Thursday at a conference in this Red Sea resort, was unveiled soon after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took office in June 2006.
Strongly backed by the United Nations, it aims to strengthen the role of the international community in stabilizing Iraq. But as the government struggles to stem the violence, Sunni-dominated Arab countries and several major European and Asian countries have indicated an unwillingness to spend more on Iraq.
The United States, the U.N. chief and the Iraq prime minister have been actively seeking support for the five-year compact. Al-Maliki went on a Mideast tour last week to push the compact, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent his special adviser on the compact to several countries in Europe and the Mideast. The Bush administration also has been trying hard to persuade other countries to follow the its lead and write off Iraq's huge debt.
Said Arikat, spokesman for the U.N. mission in Iraq, said Tuesday that about 50 countries have said they will attend Thursday's gathering. In return, the international community would accept that reforms can only be achieved with cooperation and investment. Such assistance "can include the granting of 100 percent debt relief" and financial and technical assistance, the compact says.
In an interview last week, Ban urged the world to be generous, expressing hope that international support would spur the Iraqi people to promote national reconciliation. The 42-page compact says the police and military must be "depoliticized, impartial, accountable, transparent, and professional." It also says the government will seek support from all parties to dissolve militias and reintegrate their members.
But Sunni-dominated Arab countries are not convinced that Iraq's Shiite-led government will live up to those goals, complicating efforts to generate wide support for the compact. Several major European and Asian countries, meanwhile, have let it be known they don't have extra money to help Iraq.
The compact projects economic growth jumping from 3 percent in 2006 to 15.4 percent in 2007 and then slowing to 5.3 percent in 2011 _ the last year of the compact. It also projects oil production increasing from 1.97 million barrels per day in 2006 to 2.35 million barrels daily in 2007 and 3.5 million barrels per day in 2011. The compact requires the government to establish a human rights commission, enforce the rule of law in police operations, courts and prisons, develop anti-corruption plans and reform the civil service. It provides for an oil-profit sharing law and a fully funded budget for 2007.
Strongly backed by the United Nations, it aims to strengthen the role of the international community in stabilizing Iraq. But as the government struggles to stem the violence, Sunni-dominated Arab countries and several major European and Asian countries have indicated an unwillingness to spend more on Iraq.
The United States, the U.N. chief and the Iraq prime minister have been actively seeking support for the five-year compact. Al-Maliki went on a Mideast tour last week to push the compact, and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sent his special adviser on the compact to several countries in Europe and the Mideast. The Bush administration also has been trying hard to persuade other countries to follow the its lead and write off Iraq's huge debt.
Said Arikat, spokesman for the U.N. mission in Iraq, said Tuesday that about 50 countries have said they will attend Thursday's gathering. In return, the international community would accept that reforms can only be achieved with cooperation and investment. Such assistance "can include the granting of 100 percent debt relief" and financial and technical assistance, the compact says.
In an interview last week, Ban urged the world to be generous, expressing hope that international support would spur the Iraqi people to promote national reconciliation. The 42-page compact says the police and military must be "depoliticized, impartial, accountable, transparent, and professional." It also says the government will seek support from all parties to dissolve militias and reintegrate their members.
But Sunni-dominated Arab countries are not convinced that Iraq's Shiite-led government will live up to those goals, complicating efforts to generate wide support for the compact. Several major European and Asian countries, meanwhile, have let it be known they don't have extra money to help Iraq.
The compact projects economic growth jumping from 3 percent in 2006 to 15.4 percent in 2007 and then slowing to 5.3 percent in 2011 _ the last year of the compact. It also projects oil production increasing from 1.97 million barrels per day in 2006 to 2.35 million barrels daily in 2007 and 3.5 million barrels per day in 2011. The compact requires the government to establish a human rights commission, enforce the rule of law in police operations, courts and prisons, develop anti-corruption plans and reform the civil service. It provides for an oil-profit sharing law and a fully funded budget for 2007.
Labels: International Compact with Iraq, Iraq, Sharm el-Sheikh
Monday, April 30, 2007
Allawi to attend Sharm el-Sheikh conference
Politics
(AP) - Former Iraqi prime minister Ayad Allawi, a sharp critic of the Shiite-led Iraqi government, will participate in an international conference on the country next week, an Egyptian news agency reported Saturday. The move could spark conflict with Baghdad since Allawi is believed to be garnering support to replace Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government, which he has accused of being sectarian.
Allawi arrived in Cairo on Saturday to discuss Iraqi affairs with Egyptian officials, just as the Middle East News Agency reported that he planned to attend the May 3-4 conference. Allawi is believed to have Cairo's support, but it is unclear if the Egyptian government invited him to the conference. MENA also reported that al-Maliki will head the Iraqi delegation to the upcoming meeting, citing Saad Mohammed Ridha, the head of Iraq's diplomatic mission in Cairo.
Allawi, while Shiite through family history, rejects mixing religion and government and says Iraq can only survive through reconciliation with Sunni Muslims. He was installed as Iraq's first post-Saddam prime minister and ran the country from June 2004 until his party was routed by religious Shiite parties in the January 2005 election. Al-Maliki is said to fear rising support among U.S.-allied Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan for an Iraqi national unity government led by Allawi, a favorite of Washington.
At next week's conference, Arab countries will demand that al-Maliki's government do more to reach out to disgruntled Sunni Arabs before they pledge substantial aid to the country, according to a document obtained several days ago by The Associated Press.
On the first day of the conference, officials will unveil the International Compact with Iraq, a five-year plan aimed at strengthening the role of international organizations to stabilize the country's politics and economy.
The second day's meetings will be attended by Iraq's neighbors and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain.
Allawi arrived in Cairo on Saturday to discuss Iraqi affairs with Egyptian officials, just as the Middle East News Agency reported that he planned to attend the May 3-4 conference. Allawi is believed to have Cairo's support, but it is unclear if the Egyptian government invited him to the conference. MENA also reported that al-Maliki will head the Iraqi delegation to the upcoming meeting, citing Saad Mohammed Ridha, the head of Iraq's diplomatic mission in Cairo.
Allawi, while Shiite through family history, rejects mixing religion and government and says Iraq can only survive through reconciliation with Sunni Muslims. He was installed as Iraq's first post-Saddam prime minister and ran the country from June 2004 until his party was routed by religious Shiite parties in the January 2005 election. Al-Maliki is said to fear rising support among U.S.-allied Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan for an Iraqi national unity government led by Allawi, a favorite of Washington.
At next week's conference, Arab countries will demand that al-Maliki's government do more to reach out to disgruntled Sunni Arabs before they pledge substantial aid to the country, according to a document obtained several days ago by The Associated Press.
On the first day of the conference, officials will unveil the International Compact with Iraq, a five-year plan aimed at strengthening the role of international organizations to stabilize the country's politics and economy.
The second day's meetings will be attended by Iraq's neighbors and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain.
Labels: Egypt, International Compact with Iraq, Iyad Allawi, Nouri Al-Maliki, Saad Mohammed Ridha, Sharm al-Sheikh Conference
Thursday, April 26, 2007
U.S. continues to work on Iraq debt relief in run-up to International Compact
International
(KUNA) - The United States will continue to work with other countries on debt relief for Iraq as the International Compact with Iraq prepares to meet next week, State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said on Wednesday. The government of Iraq and the United Nations co-chair the International Compact. During a regular State Department briefing, Casey noted that debt relief has been part of the effort to help Iraq move forward since 2004.
"The Paris Club made a decision to ask for 80 percent as a minimum level of debt forgiveness for Iraq among its members, and that is something that a number of countries have already acted upon," Casey said. "But it is certainly an issue that we continue to discuss with many countries in the Paris Club, and certainly something that we do want to see people live up to that Paris Club commitment on."
"The Paris Club made a decision to ask for 80 percent as a minimum level of debt forgiveness for Iraq among its members, and that is something that a number of countries have already acted upon," Casey said. "But it is certainly an issue that we continue to discuss with many countries in the Paris Club, and certainly something that we do want to see people live up to that Paris Club commitment on."
The Saudis have made some announcements in that regard, "and we are very pleased to see that," Casey said. "And we will certainly be continuing to work with other countries as we move closer to next week's compact date, as well as beyond that, to see that they carry out those agreements." The compact is not simply a debt relief agreement, but is designed to provide a variety of different kinds of support "in part in response to the Iraqis' own ability to meet the commitments they have set out for themselves in terms of economic reform," he said.
Labels: debt relief, International Compact with Iraq, Paris Club, U.S.
