Iraqi Foreign Minister Meets His Egyptian Counterpart

BAGHDAD (NINA) 28, March- Egypt confirmed its keenness on Iraq's unity, territorial integrity and return to its prominent position in the Arab region. "Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari met his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shukri on the sidelines of the Arab summit meetings in the Dead Sea in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and discussed the Iraqi-Egyptian relations and ways to strengthen them in the interests of the two brotherly peoples," a Foreign Ministry statement said. The meeting also discussed "the evolution of the war against the terrorist gangs, the victories achieved by the Iraqis in liberating their land and the most prominent issues facing the Arab region." During the meeting, Egypt's foreign minister expressed Egypt's keenness on the unity of Iraq and its territorial integrity and blessed the efforts of Iraqis in facing the terrorism, stressing that his country supports the Iraq's return to its prominent position in the Arab region. "We must work to meet the challenges, alleviate the crises facing the Arab region, and Egypt and Iraq have a great role in preserving Arab interests because of their cultural, historical and political weight, and we must work to maintain and continue this cooperation," Shukri said. He announced "a visit to Baghdad during the coming period, directing at the same time an invitation to Jaafari to visit Cairo, and open more prospects for cooperation." Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said: "The Iraqis continue their progress in their war against terrorism, stressing the keenness of the Iraqi armed forces to protect the innocent civilians who are being taken by terrorists as human shields. Adding we must work and increase the volume of security and intelligence cooperation to eliminate terrorism. He confirmed that "The cooperation between Baghdad and Cairo is very important to preserve the Arab interests, and Iraq is keen to establish the best bilateral relations in various fields and is ready to exert more efforts to support dialogue and remove the obstacles that stand in the way of preserving Arab unity and spare the region conflicts that do not benefit the Arab's peoples ". He added: "The time has come for the parties to activate common interests to confront common dangers and to leave differences./ End