Annan says Madrid donors' conference for Iraq off to good start22 October – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today the Madrid donors' conference on the future of Iraq "is off to a good start," towards helping that country's reconstruction in "a robust and determined manner."
Mr. Annan, after a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, told reporters, "I think the conference is off to a good start. First of all, early last week the Security Council unanimously agreed on a resolution on Iraq. And I think when you look at the attendance.you're going to have a very wide and senior representation. And that in itself is a good sign."
The conference runs Thursday and Friday.
In answer to reporters' questions Mr. Annan said, "In terms of actual contributions, I think the next two days will be a start. I would expect that we will get substantial contributions from governments. I don't expect governments to announce everything they are going to do for Iraq in the future tomorrow. But tomorrow and the day after will be an important beginning, and I think we will be able to raise the amount necessary to start the reconstruction of Iraq in a robust and determined manner."
Asked about safeguards on the use of donated funds, Mr. Annan said, "I think there are several arrangements in place. First of all, you have an auditing board, which is made up of an international group - the World Bank, the IMF (International Monetary Fund), the UN and the Arab [Development] Bank, which will.oversee the use of these funds. And besides, there will be a mechanism where the UN and the World Bank will be involved in the disbursements of some of the funds which are going to be raised."
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