EU Approves $230 Million Reconstruction Package for Iraq

Douglas Bakshian
Luxembourg
13 Oct 2003, 18:00 UTC

EU foreign ministers have approved a more than $230 million reconstruction aid package for Iraq,
before next week's donors' conference in Spain.

In a joint statement, the ministers called for a realistic timetable for handing over power to the Iraqi
people and added a clause insisting on a strong and vital U.N. role. The European Union and has
long demanded a greater role by the world body.

Diplomats say divisions remain within the European Union over how much to become involved in
Iraq's reconstruction, given what many view as the unstable situation in the country. Diplomats say
critics of the war, led by France and Germany, seem unlikely to add much more funding without a
satisfactory U.N. resolution on the future of Iraq.

But Britain, which fought along side U.S. forces in the war, is making an extra effort. British
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the other ministers his country would contribute more than $400
million in additional funds for reconstruction during the next two full years. Speaking to reporters at
the start of the meeting, he pledged solid backing for the Iraqi people. "We are very committed,
indeed, to the reconstruction-rehabilitation of Iraq. Just as we are so committed to the people of Iraq
and that will be reflected in the contribution that we make," he said.

The United Nations, World Bank, and International Monetary Fund estimate that more than $35
billion will be needed during the next four years to get the Iraqi economy going again.

As one EU diplomat put it, "it is no secret that some member states think those who broke Iraq
should pay to fix it".