Iraq asks conference for a debt write-off

The International Conference on Iraq held in Stockholm on Thursday, May 29th did not achieve any dramatic results but was judged by many as a positive step forward. The United Nations and international community urged the Iraq government to build a working state governed by law, while at the same time getting good words for the progress it has achieved.

"The international community is pressing Iraq's elected leaders to report on what it has done, something one cannot underestimate", says Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. Speaker after speaker have reiterated that Iraq has actually achieved economic, political and security progress during the recent year. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, who chaired the conference and Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri Maliki said that violence in Iraq has decreased in comparison to the alarming level during 2006 and start of 2007.

Iraq Prime Minister Nuri Maliki reported in a long speech the progress made on the economy and security, while at the same time stating that "significant challenges" remain, and that a big number of civilians face military violence, plus the unsettled division between Shites, Sunnis and Kurds in Iraq. Nuri urged the conference for a write-off of Iraq's debts, a big part of which was left behind by the Saddam regime - which includes war damages to Kuwait after Saddam's invasion of 1990. For this, Iraq must pay 5 percent of its yearly oil revenues to the tune of 3.5 billion US dollars.

In the final conference declaration it was emphasized that protection of women and minorities and other exploited groups was of paramount concern for Iraq's government. The next international conference is planned next year in Baghdad. ( Translation made from DN news report, May 30, 2008)

Reinfeldt satisfied with US promise to take in more refugees

US State Secretary Condoleeza Rice promised the Swedish Prime Minister that USA will open its doors to more Iraq refugees, a priority concern that was taken up during a meeting on Thursday morning. She mentioned a figure of some 12,000 refugees. Iraqi refugees that sought refuge in the small county of Södertälje told the prime minister that they came to Sweden because it has an "open door" when others were closed.

Rice expressed her gratitude and appreciation of the generous Swedish refugee policy. "Sweden has really taken a significant responsibility for Iraqi refugees. It is much appreciated both by Iraq and the US." She added that US is trying to improve its refugee reception capacity and that she has a close refugee coordinator working with her. She added that, "if we succeed in making Iraq a safe place, people can return home."#

Crises and challenges facing the coalition gov't.

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt is back home after his reported successful state visits to China and Japan where he laid the ground for Sweden's presidency of the European Union in autumn 2009. Topping the list of his agenda was a program for achieving the environmental goal of reducing carbon dioxide emission.

Reinfeldt's high diplomatic profile is further highlighted when Sweden hosts an international conference on Iraq at the end of this month. The conference which will be attended by some 80 delegates from different countries and will tackle the problem of Iraq's reconstruction and democratization. U.S. Foreign Minister Condoleeza Rice who will be attending will be received by the Swedish Prime Minister, who will inform her that Sweden has taken a large number of Iraqi asylum-seekers, much more than USA and EU combined.

It is Sweden's generous reception of Iraqi refugees that made it a suitable conference venue for the international meeting. For a small country that had nothing to do with the decision to go to war in Iraq, Sweden has indeed gone out of its way to be accommodating to the Iraqis. The chairmanship of the conference will be held by UN and the Iraqi government. An important topic of discussion will be the appropriation and use of Iraq's oil resources.

While the Swedish government is earning merits in diplomacy and humanitarian assistance, there are rumblings in the homefront that hits the basic humanitarian values of a democratic society. These three issues, outlined in Dagen Nyheter's editorial of May 17, are occuring simultaneously. The first concerns the near bankrupt defense establishment which questions seriously the credibility and ability of the Swedish defense to perform its role domestically and internationally. The second, is the inability of the country's justice system to prosecute an increasing number of cases due to lack of funds. As the cliche goes, " Justice delayed is justice denied." The third is the situation of refugees without legal documents who have no access to medical care and hospitalization.

The burden of solving these crises, as well as of facing challenges rests upon the Coalition government, and not upon any single political party in power. One reported reason why refugees in hiding are not given access to medical care is the apprehension that they will find stronger reasons to stay. #