G8 leaders urge donor countries to pay funds pledged to Iraq

Edinburgh (dpa) - G8 leaders have urged donor countries to follow up on pledges of assistance to Iraq and called on creditors to implement debt reduction terms similar to the Paris Club agreement, in a statement released at the close of the G8 summit Friday.

Countries that promised funds at the 2003 Madrid Conference were encouraged to release the money pledged and to provide further contributions to Iraq's reconstruction.

Meanwhile the leaders said they were committed to adopting the terms agreed by the Paris Club members in November 2004 and called on other creditors to provide equally generous debt relief.

The statement called on the Iraqi leadership to stick to its political timetable which schedules elections for December 2005, and welcomed a continuing role for the United Nations in line with resolution 1546.

Strongly condemning all forms of terrorism, the eight leaders also expressed sorrow at the death of the Egyptian ambassador to Iraq, who was reportedly killed by al-Qaeda Thursday. dpa sr