Iraqi PM visits Belgium, calls on EU to honour pledges

5 November 2004

BRUSSELS – Iraq’s Prime Minister Iyad Allaoui was in Brussels on Friday to visit the NATO headquarters for the first time and to meet EU leaders.

He appealed to the 26 countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Association to continue to give aid to his country.

“We feel very strongly that NATO must help us and must continue to help us so that we can create democracy, a state of law and human rights in Iraq,” he told them.

“We are really very happy and appreciate what NATO has done to support Iraq and the development of our security forces,” he said.

“We are waiting for the follow-up of that support and for a continued commitment.”

He said his country was determined to tackle the threats it would face in the run-up to its first general elections scheduled for January.

Afterwards, Allaoui met the EU heads of state most of whom were in Brussels for a summit for a working lunch.

Subject: Belgian news