Brussels, 29/06/2004 (Agence Europe) - On 28 June at the ceremony making the formal transfer of power to the Iraqi government "from the occupation administration to the Iraqi government" a declaration in which it expresses the hope that "future generations of Iraqis will be able to look back at this day and see it as a moment when they were united and began working together to overcome the legacy of conflict and brutal authoritarian rule". The Commission points out that it is proposing a partnership strategy with Iraq for the medium term and that it has examined "what the EU could offer the Iraqi people and a country with which it has never had any formal relationship". ..Now we are keen to discuss these proposals with a new Iraqi administration with real authority to govern, and to develop plans for the future together. We also want to work with the Iraqi people to discuss what you believe can be done by the EU to improve your well-being". The declaration points out that the Commission ha worked since the beginning of the conflict for "promote a European and international consensus" for a solution in Iraq and that it is backed up this commitment with financial resources. The European budget has already contributed EUR 305 million in humanitarian and aid for reconstruction in Iraq and the commission has proposed increasing this aid in 2005, indicated the declaration. The declaration underlines that the EU is the main commercial partner and donor of development aid in almost the whole Arab world. (EUROPE yesterday p 8 on the subject of the declaration from the NATO summit on Iraq).