ANKARA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Planning and Development Minister Ali Baban on Monday warned in Turkey's largest city Istanbul that if donations for Iraq end, terrorists would be stronger, Turkish semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

    Baban made the remarks at a news conference following "Iraq Reconstruction Forum" held within the scope of the Fifth meeting of the International Reconstruction Fund Facility for Iraq (IRFFI) Donor Committee formed by the World Bank and the UN Development Group, which is set to be opened on Tuesday.

    Baban said that there was an important correlation between economic relations and security, adding that Iraq's developments in its economy would also make a positive impact on security in the country.

    Asked how much donation has been collected, Baban indicated that the amount of donations did not meet their expectations.

    Meanwhile, Iraqi Electricity Minister Karim Wahid al-Hasan said that they expected more cooperation from Turkey in regard to reconstruction of Iraq.

    The IRFFI was launched early in 2004 by the United Nations and the World Bank to help donor nations channel their resources and coordinate their support for the reconstruction and development of Iraq.

    On Thursday, a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said representatives of 19 countries would attend Tuesday's meeting, adding that Canadian diplomat Michael Bell, the fund chairman, would preside over the meeting.

    So far, 26 donors have pledged over 1.4 billion U.S. dollars to ensure responsive financing for near-term and medium-term priority investments in Iraq.