"Iraq was devastated by the former regime and we are grateful for Italy's presence as part of the multinational forces helping to restore peace," said Rashad Omar, Minister of Science and Technology in the new Iraqi government, in a new conference held after signing a deal with Italy's Technical Innovation Minister Lucio Stanca.
"That is why today's agreement on information technology is of vital importance for us to create an infrastructure in the first stage of reconstruction," he added.
Under the previous Iraqi regime, the Internet was banned and Iraqis were not allowed to use mobile phones. Omar said the country now had access to the Internet, though it is not yet widely used, and to mobiles.
