## (1) Iraq

The international community has been extending assistance for Iraqi nation building to restore and establish peace and stability in Iraq. It is extremely important for the peace and stability of the international community including the people of Iraq, the Middle East and Japan to rebuild Iraq as a peaceful democratic country. A new government was inaugurated in 2006 as a result of the Iraqi National Assembly election held in 2005. In May 2007, a ministerial-level meeting was

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To date, Japan has conducted the reconstruction assistance of Iraq by combining the humanitarian activities of Self-Defense Forces (SDF) and official development assistance as an “inseparable pair.” Regarding assistance by the SDF, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force engaged in humanitarian reconstruction activities including the rehabilitation and development of public medical, water provision, and school facilities centered in Samawah from the beginning of 2004 until July 2006. Transport support for personnel and goods of the UN and the multinational forces by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force ended in December 2008.

As for official development assistance, Japan’s direct assistance through grant aid has reached approximately US$1.7 billion in total as of the end of FY2008. Japan has also been assisting capacity building of Iraqi administrative officials and engineers through training programs in various areas. As of the end of FY2008, approximately 3,100 Iraqis have received training in Japan and in Iraq’s neighboring countries such as Egypt and Jordan. Regarding loan aid, after discussion with the Iraqi side and conducting various studies, Japan decided the provision of approximately US$2,430 million of funds necessary to implement 12 projects in the sectors of power, transportation, petroleum, irrigation, and others, by the end of FY2008.

Furthermore, in order to address Iraq’s debt problems, held in Egypt to conclude the International Compact with Iraq—a compact that stipulates the cooperative roles of the Iraqi government and international society in a wide range of sectors, including politics, security, economy, and society—74 nations and organizations affected. It is expected that the international community will lend assistance so as to allow the Iraqi government to have more self-reliant and autonomous efforts.

an agreement was reached in 2004 at the Paris Club that 80% of Iraq’s total Paris Club debt of US$37.2 billion be reduced over three stages. Based on this agreement, an Exchange of Notes took place in November 2005 between Japan and Iraq, which would reduce Iraq’s total debt owed to Japan of approximately US$7.6 billion (Japan is the number one creditor nation to Iraq) by 80% in total over the three stages. Then, the debt reduction was completed for a total of approximately US$6.7 billion with the final reduction in December 2008.

In the Province of Al-Muthanna, the central city of which is Samawah, the Government of Japan has provided assistance of more than US$200 million in total through development assistance in the forms of Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects and Emergency Grant Aid in coordination with the activities of the SDF. In particular, the Government has placed priority on the following issues: provision of safe drinking water, stabilization of the electricity supply, provision of basic medical services, improvement of sanitary conditions, improvement of the educational environment, maintenance of community roads, creation of employment opportunities, restoration of public safety for people’s lives, and development of human resources.