NATO Training Mission in Iraq

The United States welcomes the July 30 agreement by NATO to establish a Training Implementation Mission in Iraq. This decision will help realize the commitment NATO leaders made in June at the Istanbul Summit to assist the Iraqi Interim Government with the training of its security forces.

The Training Implementation Mission will be a collective NATO mission, and it will work closely with the Iraqi Interim Government and the Multinational Force for Iraq. The mission will begin deployment to Iraq and training Iraqi personnel in August and will also develop more detailed proposals for NATO training by September 15.

The U.S. welcomes NATO's commitment to implement quickly the decision reached at Istanbul. It is further evidence of Allied support for the independence and sovereignty of Iraq and for freedom, democracy, and stability for the Iraqi people.

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