BRUSSELS, June 10 (Xinhuanet) -- The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union (EU), said on Friday that it is to open a permanent mission in Iraq for the first time.

    The delegation is due to set up within the next few months, said EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, briefing reporters after returning from a one-day visit to Iraq.

    The mission would be small in the beginning but would grow in size when the security situation allows, said Ferrero-Waldner.

    "The security situation is difficult, and that's also the reason why we haven't opened a mission yet," she said. "But we need a delegation there, with all the possible care given to security."

    EU and the United States are to co-host a donors' conference in Brussels later this month.

    Ferrero-Waldner said the visit showed the EU's commitment to cooperation with the Iraqi authorities despite previous European divisions over the Iraq war. Enditem