Media Release
Wednesday, 15 October 2003 - MVT78/2003
Vaile Welcomes Iraqi Trade Minister to Australia
Trade Minister Mark Vaile warmly welcomes the visit to Australia this week of Dr Ali Allawi, the interim Iraqi Minister for Trade.
This is the first visit to Australia by an Iraqi Minister since the new Ministry was sworn in on 1 September 2003, and reflects Australia’s strong support for transitional governance arrangements in Iraq. Dr Allawi is accompanied by Dr Faik Rasool, the interim Deputy Minister for Planning.
The visit is part of a regional program to promote the major international Donors’Conference on Iraq to be held from 23 to 24 October in Madrid. Australia strongly supports this Conference, which will provide renewed impetus to international support for Iraq’s recovery from the debilitating legacy of Saddam Hussein’s regime. A delegation of major Australian companies will attend the private sector conference in Madrid that will run in parallel with the Donors’Conference.
“Australia is committed to assisting the Iraqi people to achieve a better future. We have provided over $100 million to the rebuilding of Iraq, making Australia the fifth-largest bilateral donor to date. We have also contributed technical expertise in the fields of agriculture, trade, water and sanitation, economic policy and the oil industry,”Mr Vaile said.
“Iraq’s recovery will require trade and investment, in addition to aid. Dr Allawi’s visit is thus particularly timely. The announcement of foreign investment reforms and the establishment of a Trade Bank of Iraq to facilitate imports, are all indicative of Iraq’s commitment to economic progress.”
The Iraqis have also indicated their desire to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in due course. Australia has provided a number of countries with WTO-related training and in coming weeks we will be discussing with Iraqi officials how Australia might assist in this important endeavour.
Dr Allawi and Dr Rasool will be in Australia from 14-16 October and will travel to Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Perth to meet federal and state ministers, as well as representatives of Australian companies keen to do business with Iraq.
Contact: Matthew Doman 02 6277 7420