Italy Gives Baker Support on Debt Relief for Iraq
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ROME — President Bush’s envoy to Iraq received support Wednesday from Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi for a plan to relieve Baghdad’s huge debt burden, adding another European nation to the list supporting the U.S. goal.
Former Secretary of State James A. Baker III was already upbeat after winning support from Germany and France this week, the first concrete cooperation in rebuilding Iraq from two nations that fiercely opposed the U.S.-led war. Berlusconi’s government has been a staunch supporter of the U.S. on Iraq.
The meeting showed “a convergence of views between President Bush and Premier Berlusconi on the need for a substantial reduction of the Iraqi foreign debt,” the Italian leader’s office said in a statement.
Iraq owes Italy $1.73 billion, excluding interest, making Italy No. 6 on its list of creditor nations.
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