Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was at the European Parliament
Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was at the European Parliament Thursday to hold talks with President Hans-Gert Pöttering. The situation in the country was also discussed when he met MEPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee and the parliament's delegation for relations with Iraq. Mr al-Maliki said progress was being made but technical expertise was needed, stressing also the need for the return of the refugees and their skills.
The exchange of views comes at a critical time after the recent upsurge of violence in Iraq, mainly in the South around Basra but also in Bagdad and its green zone.
Speaking to MEPs Mr al-Maliki said "I cannot pretend that Iraq is a stable country, but relative to a year and a half ago, we have seen a significant progress. Iraqis have returned to universities and jobs" he explained.
Spanish MEP José Ignacio Salafranca (EPP-ED) asked what would happen if there was a sudden withdrawal of the coalition forces. Mr al-Maliki replied that a sudden retreat would lead to confusion as allied forces have control in several areas. He said that "an organized withdrawal is foreseen".
He also said that any party that has armed groups will be denied to right to participate in the upcoming elections which would lead to the reduction in armed conflict.
Technical expertise needed
British Labour MEP Richard Howitt and Cypriot Liberal Member Marios Matsakis expressed concerns about the use of EU money. The Iraqi Prime Minister explained that "we are a rich country, we don’t need funds, we need technical expertise". He thanked for all the international efforts and said professionals, business, experts were welcome.
In a resolution adopted in March MEPs called for a new strategy focusing “EU aid in Iraq generally on relevant technical assistance and capacity-building”.
Refugees urged to return to Iraq
Asked about the return of the refugees (around 4 million refugees, half of which are internally displaced) he said the "the Iraqi government is making huge efforts to secure the return of all refugees to their homes. We need their skills to return to the country" he told MEPs.
During talks Hans-Gert Pöttering proposed that the Iraqi parliament establish a delegation for the relations with the EP "with whom we can discuss and then decide very concrete actions".
