Washington, Oct 25: US President George W Bush has warmly welcomed the 33 billion dollars in pledges made at a donors' conference on Iraq in Madrid. The conference brought pledges including the largest, 20.3 billion dollars, from the United States, and 5.0 billion from Japan, the second largest. "Today's success at the Iraq donors' conference marked significant progress for freedom in Iraq. I commend the 73 nations and 20 international organisations that are meeting the challenge of helping the Iraqi people recover from decades of oppression and build a better future," Bush said yesterday. "The contributions will help bring necessary funds, goods, and services to the Iraqi people."
"A free Iraq will serve as an example and an inspiration to advocates of reform and progress throughout the Middle East," Bush added. "And a free Iraq will be a source of stability and hope for that region. America appreciates the efforts of all nations that are committed to this great endeavor."
Deputy state department spokesman Adam Ereli said, "We are pleased with the outcome at Madrid. The level of contributions exceeded our expectations."
"There was an unprecedented contribution from the United States and there were generous contributions, both large and small, from countries of Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the international financial institutions."

Ereli added, "This is an extremely significant and important first step, but it's a first step."
Bureau Report