Maliki calls to enlarge cooperation with NATO

Iraq-NATO BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday called for an increase in the cooperation between the defense and interior ministries, and NATO which contributes toward developing the Iraqi military capabilities. “Al-Maliki received at his office in Baghdad today the commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and called for an increase in the cooperation between Iraqi ministries of defense and interior from one side and the NATO from the other,” said a statement released from al-Maliki’s office and received by IraqiNews.com. “Army and police forces managed in a short time to maintain security and stability throughout Iraq,” al-Maliki said. “The security forces, despite the great progress they realized, still need for more training and equipments,” he added. For his part, the NATO official expressed the organization’s readiness to help maintaining security throughout Iraq, which witnessed significant progress in the past months. SH (S)/SR 1