Iraqi President Seeks Help From Nato, E.U.

BRUSSELS, Sept 14 (AFP) - Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar was due in Brussels Tuesday for talks with NATO and EU officials on how they can help his war-scarred country.
Al-Yawar, on the latest leg of a European tour, had meetings scheduled notably with NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is currently considering the expansion of a fledgling training mission already in Iraq, as agreed at a summit in Istanbul in June.
NATO ambassadors are expected to discuss options -- possibly including setting up a permanent training centre in Iraq -- on Wednesday, although no immediate decisions are expected, diplomats say.
The European Union, a major donor of aid to help rebuild Iraq, is currently considering how it can help organize elections planned for January, but threatened by a rising tide of violence.
Like NATO, the 25-member EU was deeply divided by last year's Iraq war -- which pitted anti-war countries like France and Germany against a pro-US camp led by Britain -- but has rallied round to help reconstruction efforts.
The Iraqi president, whose role is largely ceremonial, was arriving from Poland. After Brussels he had been due to travel to the European Parliament in Strasbourg Wednesday, but officials there said has cancelled the trip.