Czechs Restore, Return Iraqi Historical Papers

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – The Czech foreign minister returned several historical Iraqi manuscripts to the country’s president Tuesday, after Czech experts restored the fragile documents.

The manuscripts, including the declaration founding the Iraqi kingdom after its 1932 independence from Britain, had been neglected for decades under Saddam Hussein, officials said. Also included were 1935 Justice Ministry documents and the Interior Ministry’s 1924 budget.

“Iraq is a country we may call the cradle of our civilization,” Czech Foreign Minister Cyril Svoboda said, handing the documents to Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

The documents’ restoration was part of the Czech Republic’s aid program for Iraq, which also has included treating 32 Iraqi children for heart disorders and training some 300 Iraqi judges, diplomats and geology experts.

Talabani arrived Monday for a three-day visit to the Czech Republic, which also allocated $78 million for reconstruction in Iraq and stationed 100 troops in Basra to help train Iraqi police.

The Czech troops have a mandate to stay in Iraq until Dec. 31, but the government has proposed extending that through 2006.