Zibari meets with Ashton, review the preparations for signing the partnership agreement with EU

Baghdad (NINA) - Foreign Minister, Hoshyar Zibari, yesterday in Bonn, reviewed with the Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security in the European Union, Catherine Ashton, the relationship between Iraq and the EU in the light of the preparations for the signing of agreement of cooperation and partnership between Iraq and the EU. The two sides, according to a Foreign Ministry statement, stressed the importance of this agreement in the progress of the relationship steps forward. The Iraqi government's decision to close Camp Ashraf of the Iranian opposition by the end of this year was discussed, and the emphasis on Iraq’s sovereign decision. For her part, Ashton hailed Iraq's position in addressing that subject according to the humanitarian considerations and respect for international humanitarian law, as well as the steps taken by Iraq in this area in cooperation with relevant international organizations, first of which is the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Mission in Iraq (UNAMI). Zibari also met, in the Conference Centre in Bonn, yesterday, Thomas Lin, Deputy US Secretary of State. During the meeting, the Prime Minister's due visit to Washington and its importance in the activation of relations basing on the strategic framework agreement signed between the two countries in 2008 and particularly after the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by the end of this year were discussed, in addition to the challenges that need to be overcome in order to continue the political process in Iraq. /End/