BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: The Iraqi -British Joint ministerial Committee for Trade Cooperation held its firstmeeting in Baghdad on Tuesday.

The Iraqi side was headed by ForeignMinister Hoshyar Zebari, while the British side was headed by British Ministerof State for Middle East Affairs, Alistair Burt, and attended by a number ofsenior officials and ministers from both countries, the foreign ministry saidin a statement on Wednesday received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

The Iraqi side was also represented byDeputy Prime Minister for Economy Affairs, Rose Nouri Shaways, Deputy PrimeMinister for Services Affairs, Salih Al Mutlaq, and the ministers of trade andtransport, Chairman of the Investment Commission, representative of theAdvisers Commission and Cabinet General Secretariat, Deputy Chief of ArmyStaff, representatives of the Ministries of Municipalities, Public Works,Higher Education, and Oil.
The British side was represented by, UK Ambassadorto Iraq, Simon Collis, Strategic Director in the Ministry of Trade andInvestment, Edward Oakden, Senior Adviser at the Defense Department, GeneralSimon Mayal, Manager of the Iraqi - Britain Business Council, Baroness EmmaNicholson, and representatives of British companies and trade bodies.

 Thetwo sides agreed on holding biannual meetings of the Ministerial Committee inboth countries and discussed opportunities in the Iraqi market and to focus onspecific sectors such as education, cultural exchange, infrastructure,aviation, and Defense sales.
The Committee also discussed ways to overcome theobstacles that hinder cooperation in the areas of visas, movement of goods andpeople, and direct Airways.

 Atthe end of the meeting, the Iraqi Foreign Minister and British Secretary ofState signed an agreement to establish the Iraqi - British Ministerial Councilfor business cooperation.
They also agreed on holding regular meetings with theparticipation of a larger number of representatives of the two countries toremove obstacles facing the development of bilateral relations.

The two sides held a joint press conferenceat the Foreign Ministry building, attended by Arab and foreign news agenciesand satellite channels.

SH (TS)