Ministries urged to make best use of budget

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi minister of finance on Thursday called on the ministries of defense and interior to make the best use of their proportion of the 2008 budget. “The Ministry of Finance supports the armament of Iraqi forces in a manner that enables them to successfully perform their duties,” Minister Baqir Jabr al-Zubeidi said during a Baghdad-based meeting today with the minister of defense, Abdelqadir al-Ubeidi, the minister of interior, Jawad al-Boulani, and a Mutli-National Force (MNF) commander. The minister attributed “the improvement in the security situation in Baghdad other Iraqi provinces” to the armament of Iraqi personnel, which he said will positively affect the reconstruction process in the country. SS (P) 1