BRUSSELS, Nov 2 (AFP) - The European Union on Tuesday agreed a package of financial and logistical support to Iraq ahead of summit talks this week to be attended by Iraqi interim prime minister Iyad Allawi.
EU foreign ministers said they stood ready to disburse 30 million euros, already announced by the 25-nation bloc, "immediately" to support the election process before Iraqi polls planned for January.
In a statement issued at talks here, they agreed to "contribute substantially" to the financing of a protection force for United Nations personnel re-building their presence in Iraq.
The bloc's executive commission was asked to work on a trade and political agreement between the EU and Iraq, and the ministers said they supported the idea of EU training for Iraqi police and judges.
But before the EU can agree to deploy a training mission inside Iraq, "all security concerns need to be appropriately addressed", they said.
The package will be presented to Allawi by EU leaders over lunch on Friday.
"We want to send a positive signal, we want to encourage prime minister Allawi," said Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, who chaired the meeting with his EU counterparts.
The Dutch minister said the 25-member EU wants to put its past divisions over Iraq behind it.
"The European Union ... should be clear that we are united again and we have a package (of measures) to offer, so that it is not (only) a visit and a discussion on the political situation," Bot told a news conference.
Allawi was also to hold talks with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leaders during his visit to Brussels.
11/02/2004 16:08 GMT - AFP