NATO’s Iraq deal falls short of US aims

NATO leaders agreed yesterday to help train Iraq’s armed forces just hours after the new government in Baghdad took over sovereignty from a US-led administration.

However, the decision falls short of American hopes that NATO would take a larger role in Iraq.

In a statement adopted at the opening session of a two-day summit, NATO leaders said: “We are united in our support for the Iraqi people and offer full cooperation to the new sovereign interim government as it seeks to strengthen internal security.”