The president of Iraq, Jalal Talabani, began his official tour of Europe
on Monday, with the Czech Republic as his first port of call. He met with
Czech Vaclav Klaus at Prague Castle and was to attend a state dinner in
his honour Monday evening, following a series of ministerial-level
meetings. The Czech Republic has a contingent of some 100 military police
and instructors in Iraq, as well as a mobile field hospital and
specialised anti-chemical warfare troops. The Iraqi President was to
discuss the possibility of Czech instructors providing training to the
Iraqi army, and the Czech role in ongoing reconstruction efforts.