International community pressured to donate money to Iraq
Countries across the Western and Arab world are being pressured to pledge money to the reconstruction of Iraq.
Today the international community will reveal how much of the $36 billion that the World Bank says is needed has been pledged.
However it is thought that the total announced at the donors’ conference in Madrid may be significantly less than this.
The exact number of countries who will donate is not yet known. The US has already promised $20 billion but France, Germany and Russia have not yet indicated any intention to donate. It is still hoped that some of the wealthier Arab countries will also pledge money.
Yesterday Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General led the pressured appeals. The new fund has been set up to be transparent and appeal to those countries that are concerned about the UK’s involvement in Iraq.
The UK has already pledged $835 million, Japan $1.5 billion, Italy $174million and South Korea $200 million.
