Brussels, 23/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - After a five-day visit to Iraq, MEPs Simon Coveney (EPP-ED, Ireland) and André Brie (GUE/NGL, Germany) said they were “impressed with the security situation in Kurdistan, the level of stability and also the socio-economic progress within the region” compared with other parts of Iraq. In a press release, the Irish Christian Democrat and the German Communist called on the European Commission (which for the moment has only one representative in the Green Zone in Baghdad, they pointed out) to open an office in Erbil. This, they felt, would be a positive signal that the EU is serious about increased engagement with Iraq, helping with monitoring projects promoting democracy, capacity-building and training. The MEPs said they let “Deputy Prime Minister Sarkis Aghajan, as well as civil society groups and journalists” and that they also visited the town of Halabja which in 1988 had suffered a chemical weapons attack in which 5,000 people died. “Eighteen years after the event the European Union has still not sent medical and other specialists to Halabja,” said PDS MEP André Brie. With Simon Coveney, he concludes, “The future of Iraq is uncertain, but our visit confirmed that in Northern Iraq there are many positive things happening. We have a responsibility to assist and support this process. The Kurdish Regional Government can be real partner for progress if a relationship with the EU is promoted and developed”.