Brussels, 29/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - A delegation from the Iraqi parliament addressed the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee and called for the moral and material support of the EU in the reconstruction of their country. The leader of the delegation and secretary general of the central committee of the Iraqi Communist Party, Hamid Moussa, said that the challenge in Iraq was now to re-establish public institutions and rebuild the army, while carrying out economic reform to make better use of oil resources. Iraq had to attract foreign investment and ensure revenue was distributed between the Iraqi provinces and the central administration of the new Iraqi federal state, Mr Moussa stressed. He also re-stated the role of the EU and the need for strong relations with the EU. The condition of women in Iraq was raised by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (ALDE, UK), who argued that women's parliamentary status - women make up 25% of the Iraqi parliament - should be extended to Iraqi society as a whole. André Brie (GUE/NGL, Germany) said that crimes of honour should be abolished. Ms Shatha Abdul Razak, a member of the Iraqi delegation, agreed that women's civil rights had to be protected, but she strongly denied that crimes of honour were permitted under Islam. José Ignacio Salafranca (EPP-ED, Spain), along with British MEPs Richard Howitt (PES) and Geoffrey Van Orden (EPP-ED), wanted to know what effect the withdrawal of foreign troops currently based in Iraq would have. Mr Moussa, according to a European Parliament press release, said that calling for the withdrawal of foreign troops would be a “call for chaos”. (hb)