Iraq's government is expected to appeal to world leaders for reconstruction aid at a conference in Brussels to be attended by Kofi Anna and others.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said he wanted the international community to re-engage in Iraq, and deliver on aid commitments.

US and EU officials have said they will be urging Iraq's creditors to reduce or cancel the country's debts.

A senior Iraqi official said corruption had reached disastrous proportions.

Hussein al-Shahristani, the deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, told Reuters news agency that the corruption was so widespread that even senior anti-corruption officials were involved.

He said several had now been sacked, and contracts in many areas were being reviewed.

Senior officials from more than 80 countries and organisations have gathered in Brussels to show support for Iraq at the conference.

Divisions

Mr Annan, the United Nations' secretary general, will be joined by the EU's foreign affairs chief, Javier Solana, and US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafaari will also help co-ordinate international efforts to help the Iraqi transitional government to boost reconstruction and the rule of law and prepare for new elections later this year.

The BBC's Oana Lungescu, in Brussels, says this is not to be a donor conference - that will be held in Jordan next month.

But she adds that for the new Iraqi government, it is the first opportunity to get global support for its plans to boost political and economic reforms while dealing with continuing insurgent attacks.

And for the Europeans and the Americans, our correspondent says, this huge conference agreed during US President George W Bush's trip to Brussels earlier this year is a chance to show that divisions over Iraq are a thing of the past.

The meeting will also provide a forum for Iraq to improve relations with difficult neighbors - as Syria, Iran and Kuwait will all send their foreign ministers to Brussels.

The conference will urge them to formally recognize the new government and to do more to prevent insurgents from crossing their borders into Iraq.

PHOTO CAPTION

Scene of attack on Baghdad police station 20 June, 2005