Straw and Solana visiting Baghdad

[cal04]

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has arrived in Baghdad as part of a European Union visit to Iraq. Mr Straw joined EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and other EU officials on the trip - his first to Iraq since its new government formed. He has already met Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and will later hold talks with other ministers. The visit follows Mr Straw's talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders as part of a trip to the Middle East this week.

Conference preparations
As well as Mr Solana, Mr Straw was joined by EU external affairs commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Jean Asselborn, foreign minister of current EU president Luxembourg.

A UK Foreign Office spokesman said the visit was designed to show support for the new transitional Iraqi government. It also formed part of preparations for an international conference about Iraq to be hosted by the EU on 22 June. The conference would bring together more than 80 countries to discuss issues such as how to improve coordination of money pledged to Iraq, the drafting of the new Iraqi constitution, reconstruction work, the economy and security.

Mr Straw said the visit was aimed about making sure the EU did not just talk about its commitment to Iraq but produced a real commitment.It follows a period of intense violence by anti-US insurgents which has claimed hundreds of lives in Iraq in recent weeks

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4076486.stm

[DoYouEverWonder]

1. Time for folks to sit down

and figure out how to get things under control again in Iraq. Since Bu$h and Co refuses to do anything, it will be up to the EU to lead the way.