--- SEARCH ---
WEATHER
CHINA
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
CULTURE
GOVERNMENT
SCI-TECH
ENVIRONMENT
SPORTS
LIFE
PEOPLE
TRAVEL
WEEKLY REVIEW
Learning Chinese
Learn to Cook Chinese Dishes
Exchange Rates
Hotel Service
China Calendar


Hot Links
China Development Gateway
Chinese Embassies

Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.

Thousands of Spaniards Protest Donors Conference for Iraq

Thousands of Spaniards took to the streets on Thursday in protest of a two-day donors conference for Iraq, which is being held in the Spanish capital.

Many demonstrators waved colorful banners and shouted slogans such as "Donors No! Robbers" and "We Wont Pay For Your Pillage" while police officers lined the streets and a helicopter circled overhead.

The Spanish government, the host of the conference, was one of the supporters of the US-led war in Iraq, although opinion polls showed that about three-quarters of the Spaniards opposed the war.

Hoping to get more cash and troops from other countries to rebuild Iraq and ease the burden on the United States, the Spanish government proposed the donors conference at the beginning of this month.

The first day of the conference featured largely technical discussions on Iraq's needs in areas such as education, health care and power grid.

In his opening speech at the conference, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said success in rebuilding Iraq depends not only on the availability of resources, but also on a number of other factors, such as security, Iraqi ownership and leadership.

So far, US$27 billion in donations have been promised. However, about US$56 billion are estimated to be needed over the next four years for the reconstruction of Iraq.

About 1,200 representatives from 71 countries, 20 international organizations and 225 private companies attended the conference.

(Xinhua News Agency October 24, 2003)

Print This Page | Email This Page
About Us SiteMap Feedback
Copyright © China Internet Information Center. All Rights Reserved
E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-68326688