Iraq: Sweden set to hold major conference on Iraq

Sweden's Prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, has announced his country is planning to arrange a UN conference on the future of Iraq at the end of May.

Speaking to Swedish journalists in Bucharest on the fringe of a Nato summit, Reinfeldt said he discussed the possibility of holding a UN-led international conference on development in Iraq, during a one-on-one meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

"This is a way to show that the UN can have a stronger role in facing the challenges associated with improving development on the ground in Iraq," he was quoted saying by the Local in Sweden.

The prime minister said he was expecting high-level officials from various countries and international organizations at the meeting, but added that he had not yet been in touch yet with the US to see if Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice would be attending.