The European Union offered to provide training for Iraqi police and judges on Monday in a move aimed at ending a transatlantic rift over Iraq on the eve of a summit with US President George W. Bush. EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels approved a plan to train 770 senior Iraqi police officers and judges in the EU and in countries near Iraq. The mission, due to start mid-2005, could be extended to Iraq if security allowed. "It will consist of integrated training ... to be given to a representative group of senior officials, mainly in the judiciary, police and penitentiary sectors," according to a communique translated from French.
| And it will start at some point conveniently in the future. |
Paris and Berlin have pledged to help reconstruction through debt relief and training but will not set foot in Iraq. The EU communique hailed the Jan. 30 elections in Iraq as a step forward for democracy in the country and noted the EU had already agreed aid totalling over half a billion euros ($650 million) to Iraq. "The (EU) Council reaffirms its goal of an Iraq which is secure, stable, unified, prosperous, democratic, respecting of human rights and ready to cooperate constructively with its neighbours and the international community," it said. EU diplomats estimate the Iraq training mission would draw on around 10 million euros of EU funding, with member states coming up with an additional 15-18 million euros.
| Unless they opt out as they've done in Afghanistan. |
The EU also declared itself ready to support the political process in Iraq, notably by helping in the drafting of a new constitution if invited, and to explore broadening commercial ties with the country.  ÂÂ
| Umm, help drafting a constitution is prolly what the Iraqis don't need from the Euros. |
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