MADRID -- Nudged by the United States, international donors came through with pledges of $19 billion in grants and loans Friday to rebuild Iraq but were falling short of the estimated $56 billion needed to rebuild the country.
After the $20 billion package now before the U.S. Congress, Japan offered the biggest pledge: $1.5 billion in grants for 2004 and $3.5 billion in loans for 2005-2007, Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi said.
The amount will account for roughly 10 percent of the $55 billion in reconstruction costs estimated by the World Bank.
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