Iraqi president meets Pompeo on bilatreal relations, anti-terror efforts

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi President Barham Saleh stressed on Wednesday his country’s keenness on building balanced relations with all friendly countries, particularly the U.S.

The president made the remarks during a meeting at Al-Salam palace in Baghdad with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Alsumaria News TV channel quoted the Iraqi presidency as saying in a statement.

The two sides discussed the latest security and political developments in Iraq and the region, said the statement.

During the meeting, Saleh stressed the need for adopting the approach of “constructive dialogue among all parties to achieve peace and security and ease tension and instability at the Arab and regional levels.”

He also called for promoting cooperation among regional and international powers to put an end to terrorism and extremism, stressing that Iraq is keen to build balanced relations with all friendly and allied countries “based on respect for its sovereignty and the independence of its national decision.”

The Iraqi president further called on the American side to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq and the improvement of services provided for Iraqis, praising the support provided by the U.S. for Iraq at the political and security levels, especially in the war against terrorism.

Pompeo, for his part, reiterated the U.S. administration’s keenness to establish special relations with Iraq at various levels, stressing Washington’s continued commitment to fighting Islamic State and terrorism.

Pompeo said that the U.S. considers Iraq “an important and strategic partner in the political, economic and security fields,” expressing his country’s readiness to contribute to the reconstruction of the areas liberated from terrorism in Iraq.