(9 Jun 2005) SHOTLIST
1. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani receiving British Foreign Minister Jack Straw, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, and Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg Foreign Minister
2. Cameramen
3. President Talabani meeting EU delegation
4. Talabani with Asselborn
5. (Left-right) Solana, Straw, Asselborn
6. Talabani talking
7. Straw laughing
8. Briefing
9. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Jalal Talabani, Iraqi President:
''We are pleased to have frank dialogue with them (the EU delegation). They visited Iraq which was liberated from dictatorship to show their solidarity with the Iraqi people and pave the way to the conference due to be held in Brussels shortly to help the Iraqi people.''
10. Cameramen
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Jack Straw, British Foreign Minister
"Yes the Iraq war did divide Europe but as Jean has so generously said now there is a new spirit around to put the past behind us and to work for this new future for Iraq in tangible ways and with the great help of our friend Javier Solana and our great friend (EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner) Benita Ferrero-Waldner to not only talk about the EU's commitment but to produce a real commitment from the European Union for the benefit of the people of Iraq."
12. The delegation leaving lobby after holding press conference
13. Wide of President Jalal Talabani meeting UN envoy Ashraf Qazi
14. Delegation walking away
15. Various of meeting
16. Cameramen
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Ashraf Qazi, UN envoy
''The United Nations is playing a leading role in supporting the work of the National Assembly and the constitutional committee."
18. Officials leaving meeting
STORYLINE:
A European Union delegation headed by its foreign policy chief Javier Solana and British Foreign Minister Jack Straw made a surprise first visit to Iraq to discuss a donor conference that will be held later this month.
Solana, Straw, EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and Luxembourg Foreign Minister, Jean Asselborn, met Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.
Luxembourg currently holds the EU's rotating six-month presidency.
The trip was not announced in advance for security reasons said an EU spokeswoman.
Talabani welcomed Straw and the EU envoys. At a joint briefing after talks, Talabani said the delegation was in Baghdad to pave the way for the conference on Iraq due to be held in Brussels.
Straw said he thought that although opinion in Europe had been divided over the Iraq war, the European Union was now united in its commitment to the new democratic Iraq.
"There is a new spirit around to put the past behind us and to work for this new future for Iraq in tangible ways,'' he said.
More than 80 countries are attending the EU-US conference on June 22 which will aim to bolster international support for political and economic reforms and back efforts to draft a constitution.
UN envoy Ashraf Qazi also met Talabani.
Qazi, a former Pakistani diplomat, is working on the political process by bringing together parties following January's election.
He is also trying to ensure that there is full participation from all sections of society as the newly elected national assembly prepares to construct a new constitution.
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