Sweden to host Iraq development conference
STOCKHOLM, April 3 (Reuters) - Sweden said on Thursday it would host an international conference in late May on Iraq's development and the role of the United Nations in the war-torn country.
The government said Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt had met with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and confirmed Sweden would host the meeting, which follows up on the launch of the so-called International Compact with Iraq.
"The conference, which is planned for the end of May, aims to clarify the support of the international community for Iraq's development, and for the central role assigned to the United Nations," the government said in a news release.
More than 60 countries participated in the launch of the International Compact, which produced commitments of $30 billion, mostly in the form of debt relief.
Swedish Daily Dagens Nyheter said Reinfeldt hoped U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would attend the meeting.
Sweden is not a member of NATO, although Reinfeldt is in Bucharest, where NATO is holding a summit. In a speech he gave there, Reinfeldt said the group and its partners needed to work more closely.
"Cooperation in the field of security has never been as important as it is today," Reinfeldt said in the text of the speech. "Yes, we have made progress. But we must acknowledge that there is still work left to be done," he said. (Editing by Matthew Jones)
