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Iraq PM sets off for USA ahead of pullout
11 December 2011
Agence France-Presse
BAGHDAD, 11 DEC: Prime Minister Mr Nouri al-Maliki headed to Washington today, for the first time as the leader of a country virtually empty of foreign troops as the US withdrawal from Iraq nears its final days.
Mr Maliki is to hold wide-ranging talks with US President Barack Obama during his two-day visit, which comes less than a month before the complete withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and more than eight years after the launch of the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.
“This will be the first visit where he is going as the chief of a country empty of foreign troops that can count totally on itself,” Mr Ali Mussawi, media adviser to the Premier, said.
“We will discuss all the fields of collaboration ... and open a new phase of relations between Baghdad and Washington, which used to be dominated by military affairs.”
Mr Maliki was accompanied by foreign minister Mr Hoshyar Zebari, acting defence minister Mr Saadun al-Dulaimi, transport minister Mr Khayrullah Hassan Babakir, trade minister Mr Hadi al-Ameri, and national security adviser Mr Falah al-Fayadh. Also on the trip are National Investment Commission chief Mr Sami al-Araji, and Mr Maliki's chief adviser and former oil minister Mr Thamer al-Ghadban.
The Iraqi Premier is to hold talks with Mr Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Mrs Hillary Clinton, and US lawmakers, on issues including security, energy, education and justice.
“The two leaders will hold talks on the removal of US military forces from Iraq, and our efforts to start a new chapter in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the USA and Iraq,” said White House spokesman Mr Jay Carney. “The President honours the sacrifices and achievements of all those who have served in Iraq, and of the Iraqi people, to reach this moment full of promise for an enduring US-Iraq friendship, as we end America's war in Iraq.”
Baghdad and Washington are expected to maintain close ties after the military withdrawal, when the focus will shift to the work of the 16,000-strong US mission in Iraq.
The US-Iraq relationship, “long defined by the imperative of security alone, is now giving way to a new, more normal partnership between sovereign nations seeking to build a future together,” US Vice-President Joe Biden said on a visit to Iraq this month.
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11 December 2011
Agence France-Presse
BAGHDAD, 11 DEC: Prime Minister Mr Nouri al-Maliki headed to Washington today, for the first time as the leader of a country virtually empty of foreign troops as the US withdrawal from Iraq nears its final days.
Mr Maliki is to hold wide-ranging talks with US President Barack Obama during his two-day visit, which comes less than a month before the complete withdrawal of US troops from Iraq and more than eight years after the launch of the US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein.
“This will be the first visit where he is going as the chief of a country empty of foreign troops that can count totally on itself,” Mr Ali Mussawi, media adviser to the Premier, said.
“We will discuss all the fields of collaboration ... and open a new phase of relations between Baghdad and Washington, which used to be dominated by military affairs.”
Mr Maliki was accompanied by foreign minister Mr Hoshyar Zebari, acting defence minister Mr Saadun al-Dulaimi, transport minister Mr Khayrullah Hassan Babakir, trade minister Mr Hadi al-Ameri, and national security adviser Mr Falah al-Fayadh. Also on the trip are National Investment Commission chief Mr Sami al-Araji, and Mr Maliki's chief adviser and former oil minister Mr Thamer al-Ghadban.
The Iraqi Premier is to hold talks with Mr Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Mrs Hillary Clinton, and US lawmakers, on issues including security, energy, education and justice.
“The two leaders will hold talks on the removal of US military forces from Iraq, and our efforts to start a new chapter in the comprehensive strategic partnership between the USA and Iraq,” said White House spokesman Mr Jay Carney. “The President honours the sacrifices and achievements of all those who have served in Iraq, and of the Iraqi people, to reach this moment full of promise for an enduring US-Iraq friendship, as we end America's war in Iraq.”
Baghdad and Washington are expected to maintain close ties after the military withdrawal, when the focus will shift to the work of the 16,000-strong US mission in Iraq.
The US-Iraq relationship, “long defined by the imperative of security alone, is now giving way to a new, more normal partnership between sovereign nations seeking to build a future together,” US Vice-President Joe Biden said on a visit to Iraq this month.
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