Foreign ministers gathered Wednesday at the European Union for an international conference on helping Iraqis rebuild their country. Dozens of senior officials from more than 80 nations and organizations were in Brussels for the one-day conference hosted by the European Union and the United States at the request of Iraq's 6-week-old transitional government. The Iraqis, led by Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, said they would tell the international community Baghdad needs the world's help in securing the country and charting its future. "We need assistance for the political process, for the constitution, conducting a referendum, and for holding elections from the United Nations and other member states ... to enhance civil society" in Iraq, Zebari told The Associated Press on Tuesday. They said they would lay out their plan for the political transition before December elections, reconstruction and establishment of security _ and then ask for help with expertise, from legal advice to training for police and judges.
