FACTBOX: Breakdown of Iraq's foreign debt
(Reuters) - Baghdad may seek debt relief from Arab countries at an international conference on Thursday to discuss progress on a plan for Iraq's reconstruction.
Iraq, which co-chairs with the United Nations a review of a strategy adopted in Egypt a year ago, is also seeking technical support and more engagement from Sunni-led Arab countries.
Here are some details on Iraqi debt:
* Over the past three years, about $66.5 billion of Iraq's overall $120.2 billion foreign debt has been forgiven. With the participation of all members, the Paris Club cancelled $42.3 billion, including Russia's $12 billion.
The Paris Club is an informal group of official creditors whose role is to help debtor nations manage their debts.
* A number of non-Paris Club members have cancelled a total of $8.2 billion, on Paris Club terms. A total of $16 billion has been cancelled by commercial creditors, also on Paris Club terms.
* Other Paris Club members agreed to cancel 80 percent of Iraq's debt.
* ESTIMATED DEBT REMAINING:
$56.6 billion to $79.9 billion
including:
-- Paris Club: $7.6 billion.
-- Gulf Cooperation Council, which comprises Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates:
$32.4 billion to $55.4 billion.
-- Non-Paris Club with signed bilateral agreements:
$646 million.
-- Other non-Paris Club: $15.9 billion to $16.2 billion.
* DEBT WRITTEN OFF BY SOME COUNTRIES:
United States: $4.1 billion
Japan: $6.8 billion
Germany: $5.6 billion
France: $5.1 billion
Russia: $12 billion
Italy $2.4 billion
Bulgaria $3.1 billion
Serbia, Slovenia and Bosnia: $2.2 billion
Romania: $2 billion
* SAUDI ARABIA/KUWAIT:
-- Last year, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said his country would write off 80 percent of the more than $15 billion it is owed by Iraq.
-- Last September, the chairman of the Paris Club, Xavier Musca, said Saudi Arabia and Kuwait still had not offered to Iraq a debt treatment comparable to the one provided by the Paris Club in 2004.
-- Kuwait is owed about $15 billion.
Sources: Reuters/www.clubdeparis.org/U.S. State Department:
For main story please click on
(Writing by David Cutler, London Editorial Reference Unit; Editing by Sami Aboudi)
