BAGHDAD, May 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department said security and diplomatic gains in Iraq brought improvements in the agriculture sector and the return of 10,000 refugees.
Senior Iraqi delegates attended a reconciliation conference in Helsinki, Finland, with leaders from Northern Ireland and South Africa near the end of April, the State Department said in its weekly status report for April 30.
The delegates secured a framework power-sharing arrangement with agreements to hold follow-up meetings in Baghdad within three months.
In Iraq, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki laid out a set of proposals to reach a cease-fire agreement with the Mehdi Army of Moqtada Sadr. The Mehdi Army is to surrender all heavy and medium weapons, respect the authority of the central government and the national security forces, and surrender all wanted criminals.
Iraqi soldiers trained Iraqi police units in foot patrols and other security details while conducting humanitarian missions in provinces just north of Baghdad, the report said.
In light of the progress of the Iraqi national security forces, the State Department said over 10,000 of the estimated 18,700 internally displaced persons who fled Baghdad returned to their homes this year.
The government of Iraq also purchased over 2,000 tractors to boost crop production and the convened farmers' unions at the provincial level to reform the agricultural sector.
Finally, the report noted that overall electricity production was up four percent from the same period in 2007.
