U.K. grooms Iraqi officials

BAGHDAD, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- British civilian advisers working with the Iraqi Ministry of Defense are grooming future diplomats capable of representing an autonomous future government.

Civilians within the British Ministry of Defense are working with the Multi-National Security Transition Command Iraq, MNSTC-I, or "min-sticky," to create a self-sufficient Defense Ministry in the new Iraqi government.

Iraqi officials faced transitional obstacles in development a Defense Ministry staffed primarily by civilians, as there is no domestic model for a non-military government department, the British Ministry of Defense said.

For their part, Iraqi military officials say coordination with transition teams has given them confidence to reach out diplomatically to other countries to solidify bilateral relations as Iraq re-emerges on the international scene.

"At first, people didn't have confidence in Iraq; they felt it was like the old government," Rear Adm. Mohammed Jawad, the top Iraqi naval official, said. "It is my job to make dialogue with Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and, yes, with Iran. If we try to deal with them, it will show an open hand, that we offer peace."