Deputy premier, U.S. commander discuss services

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Deputy Prime Minister Rafie al-Issawi on Saturday received the deputy commander of the Multi-National Force (MNF) in Iraq and discussed with him the services situation throughout the country. “The meeting tackled several issues, the most important of which are the services situation in Baghdad and other provinces, the 2009 budget, and an effective spending of the allocations,” according to a statement released by Issawi’s office and received by IraqiNews.com news agency. The U.S. official praised the successes achieved by Iraqi security forces and the professionalism shown by Iraqi servicemen during the recent provincial council elections. SS (P) 1