The European Union and the United States are planning to jointly host an international conference on Iraq in Brussels in early June - provided the new interim government in Baghdad wants such a meeting, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said Saturday. Luxembourg as current president of the E.U. was doing its best to make sure the meeting was held, Asselborn said, adding that he hoped the focus of the conference would be on aid coordination among key donor states. "It is very important to give the new Iraqi government an opportunity to present its priorities to the wider international community," added E.U. external relations chief Benita Ferrero-Waldner. Baghdad's new rulers must be able to "tell the world what kind of future is planned for the people," she insisted. Conference participants would also include Iraq's neighbors, Ferrero-Waldner said, adding that the meeting would give a "sign of our common commitment to stability in Iraq." Plans for the conference were initially discussed in Brussels in February when U.S. President George W. Bush held talks with E.U. leaders.
