PM says conference, British withdrawal turning point in bilateral relations

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said that holding the investment conference in London in coincidence with the start of British forces withdrawal from Basra is a turning point in relations between the two countries, his media office said in a statement on Friday. This came during his meeting with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in London. “The two countries working to improve their relations and to move from the military side to political, economic, commercial, agricultural and scientific cooperation,” the statement quoted al-Maliki as saying. “The investment conference represents a message to the world that the promising Iraqi market could help improving relations between Iraq and the world,” the premier added. For his part, Miliband reiterated his country’s support to the Iraqi government and to raise the level of cooperation in all fields after the forces withdrawal. The official spokesman for the Iraqi government said that the Iraqi and UK governments signed a technical and economic cooperation agreement on Thursday in London in 12 areas. The conference, organized by the U.K. Ministry of Development, presided over by Deputy Premier Burham Saleh. On Wednesday (April 29) evening, Maliki arrived in London, leading a senior delegation that included the foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari; the interior minister, Jawad al-Bolani; and the trade minister, Abdulfalah al-Sudani. SH (S) 1