Coveney going on fact-finding trip to north Iraq

Fine Gael MEP Simon Coveney is to pay a four-day fact-finding visit to the Kurdish region of northern Iraq this week.

Fine Gael MEP Simon Coveney is to pay a four-day fact-finding visit to the Kurdish region of northern Iraq this week.

German MEP Andre Brie and Baroness Emma Nicholson, an MEP from the United Kingdom, will also join the trip, which is hosted by the Kurdish regional government.

The group will meet with members of the government and parliament as well as with journalists and representatives of civil society.

The group will travel to Suleimaniah, the region's second largest city and cultural capital, and will go to Kirkuk, if the security situation allows the visit.

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The European Union sponsors projects in northern Iraq involving reconstruction and the promotion of democracy.

"This trip is important to reinforce the message that the EU is serious in its commitment to bring about stability in Iraq," said Mr Coveney.

"The Kurdish controlled northern region is central to providing long term stability to a war-torn country."

Mr Coveney is a member of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and is human rights spokesman for the European People's Party political group.

PA