NATO chief opens military academy during snap visit to Iraq

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD (AFP) - NATO (news - web sites) Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer announced the opening of the Western military alliance's Iraq (news - web sites) training acacemy during a surprise snap visit to Baghdad.

De Hoop Scheffer, whose mission was previously kept under wraps for security reasons, announced the opening at a press conference on Friday.


And addressing a group of alliance officers already in the country to train Iraqi officers, de Hoop Scheffer stressed that NATO was in Iraq "on behalf of the Iraqi people".


"It is their priority, they want to be as soon as possible less dependent on others," said de Hoop Scheffer, whose visit was the first by a NATO chief to the war-wracked country.

more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041203/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_nato_scheffer&cid=1514&ncid=1480