Bremer wants Belka as Iraq Reconstruction Committee Chairman

Former Finance Minister Marek Belka was yesterday officially nominated as Chairman of the Coordination Committee for the Reconstruction of Iraq. This announcement was made by the Iraqi civil administrator Paul Bremer, who added during a conference in Baghdad that, "We would like Marek Belka to begin work in the coming couple of weeks." His nomination was revealed by President Aleksander Kwaśniewski on Saturday, after his talks with U.S. President George W. Bush. Belka will be responsible for supervising Iraq's relationships with foreign countries, as well as its cooperation with non-government organizations. In related news, NATO nations agreed on Monday to provide support in five areas from intelligence to logistics for the Polish-led stabilization force in Iraq, taking the alliance into the furthest-flung operation of its 54-year history. The decision came on the eve of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Madrid. (www.polskieradio.pl; Reuters) A.K.