More than 60% of Irish people believe the Government should send soldiers to aid the US occupation of Iraq, according to an EU survey conducted earlier this month.

The Eurobarometer poll found that, throughout the 15 EU member states, just 44% of respondents wanted their countries to send soldiers to help the US restore security in the Middle Eastern nation.

Just 68% of those surveyed said the US/British invasion of Iraq was unjustified and 65% said the US should finance the rebuilding of Iraq on its own, but only 18% wanted the Bush administration in charge of the reconstruction effort.