Arab States End Meeting, Do Not Commit Themselves To Provide Debt Relief To Iraq

Upplands Vasby, Sweden (AHN) - A U.N. conference on Iraq ended on Thursday without any debt relief commitment from the Arab states. The Iraqi Prime Minister had opened the conference urging neighboring states to consider debt relief.

The PM had urged Arab states to forgive debts incurred by the regime of Saddam Hussein.Iraq owes almost $67 billion in foreign debt from countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar.

The country further has to pay the UN Compensation Commission $28 billion for Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

More than 500 delegates attended Thursday's conference including the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the UN Secretary General Ban KI-moon.

Sweden's foreign minister also said that the Arab countries must cooperate with Iraq to aid in its rebuilding process.

The U.S. has also advocated Sunni Arab governments to help Iraq financially and diplomatically.

The State Department advocated strengthening diplomatic ties through opening of embassies in Iraq. It also advocated that Iraq should appoint ambassadors to these states.