Last update: 05-Aug-2004 11:58 | NATO Update |
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Alliance to support Iraq with troop training
In a statement released on the first day of Summit meetings in Istanbul, NATO Heads of State of Government agreed to assist Iraq with the training of its security forces. In response to a request by the Iraqi Interim Government, and in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546, which requests international and regional organisations to contribute assistance to the multinational force, Heads of State and Government decided to offer NATO’s assistance to the government of Iraq with the training of its security forces. They also encouraged member countries to contribute to the training of the Iraqi armed forces. “By training Iraqi security forces and helping to develop their security institutions, we will bring forward the day that foreign forces are no longer required. That is a goal we all share,” said NATO Secretary Gneeral Jaap de Hoop Scheffer at a press conference. The North Atlantic Council, NATO’s principal decision-making body, was tasked to develop on an urgent basis the modalities to implement this decision with the Iraqi Interim Government. The Council was also asked to consider, as a matter of urgency and on the basis of a report by the Secretary General, further proposals to support the nascent Iraqi security institutions.
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