13 July 2004

First visit to NATO by Iraqi Foreign Minister News 12/07/2004 - NATO Visit to NATO by H.E. Mr. Hoshyar Zebari, Foreign Minister of Iraq Tuesday, 13 July 2004 29/06/2004 - NATO Alliance to support Iraq with troop training 22/06/2004 - NATO Iraqi government requests assistance from NATO Background NATO and Iraq Opinions 13/07/2004 - NATO Press conference by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and the Foreign Minister of Iraq, Hoshyar Zebari Multimedia High resolution photos Audio file of the press conference (MP3/4829kb) On a historic first visit to NATO on 13 July, the Foreign Minister of Iraq, Hoshyar Zebari, appealed to the Alliance to provide Iraqi forces with training and equipment as soon as possible. The Minister met with NATO Secretary General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer and briefed the North Atlantic Council on Iraq’s security situation, including the urgent need for training of security forces and border guards as well as military equipment. A race against time In a joint press point with the Secretary General, Foreign Minister Zebari said the Iraqi Interim authority was “in a race against time” and NATO’s assistance was “a matter of urgency”. The Alliance has already formally agreed to assist Iraq with the training of its security forces and other forms of technical assistance. The North Atlantic Council is now working out the exact scope and details of this assistance. A team of NATO military experts has already visited Iraq on a fact-finding mission. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told reporters that he expected a decision by the Council in the coming weeks. The Secretary General also said that he is preparing a report on possible other forms of assistance the Alliance could offer in support of Iraq’s nascent security institutions.