Maliki says Iraq keen to develop ties with Arab countries
December 21, 2009 - 03:12:20
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said on Monday that Iraq is keen to develop relations with all Arab countries in various domains, according to a statement released by his office.
This came during his meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.
“Iraq is keen to develop relations with all Arab countries and looks forward to their contributions in reconstructing it and to support it in its war against terrorism,” said the statement, quoting al-Maliki, received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
“The premier thanked Mubarak and the Egyptian government for supporting Iraq and for the official invitation to visit Egypt,” it added.
The meeting covered the contribution of Egyptian companies to development and infrastructure ventures in Iraq.
“The Egyptian president called for activating bilateral agreements,” the statement noted, adding that Mubarak welcomed al-Maliki’s invitation to visit Iraq, and with the invitation to the Egyptian companies to invest in the country and to contribute in the reconstruction process.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that al-Maliki had welcomed the recent re-opening of the Egyptian embassy in Baghdad.
Meanwhile, Zebari implied that while Iran had withdrawn troops from an oil field in a border area with Iraq, soldiers were not yet back to their positions prior to the seizure last week.
The minister said the border area, ill-defined as a result of the 1980s war between Iraq and Iran, needed to be clarified.
On Sunday, Mubarak discussed the same issue with Iranian speaker of parliament Ali Larijani, during a rare high-level meeting.
SH (S)/SR
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