Posted on 01/23/2004 6:05:55 AM PST by Clive
DAVOS, Switzerland (CP) - Canada has joined other members of the G-8 in wiping out the majority of the debt that its is owed by Iraq, Prime Minister Paul Martin said here Friday.
Canada's share of Iraq's debt is $750 million and by forgiving the amount it is owed, the G-8 is showing that it is able to overcome disagreements over the invasion of Iraq by the U.S.-led coalition last year to overthrow Saddam Hussein, Martin told a news conference.
"Obviously erasing that debt will put Iraq on a better foundation," he said. "I think it's a very tangible coming together of the G-8 to deal with that problem. It's simply one more indication that where there were great divisions, those divisions are beginning to be healed."
The U.S. has been pressing its allies in the industrialized world and throughout the Middle East to forgive the debt owed by Iraq to help it in its postwar reconstruction.
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