‘Development pledges for Iraq at $30b’

KUWAIT: Iraq has received investment and donation pledges from allies worth $30 billion, Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al Khalid Al Sabah told a news conference on Wednesday.

“What resulted from this wide momentum of investor and developmental participation in the reconstruction of Iraq has reached $30 billion,” he said.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al Jaafari said that the pledges made were less than what Iraq requires.

Meanwhile, UN SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres called the conference “an enormous success”. Jafari said 18,000 people had been killed and 36,000 wounded in the war with the IS group since 2014.