Iraq’s Prime Minister back from visit to United States

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has returned to Baghdad on Thursday, after his conclusion of a 4-day officialvisit to the United States, during which he led a high-level delegation, in response to an invitation by US President, Barrack Obama, the PrimeMinister’s office reported. “Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, has returned to Baghdad on Thursday morning, after his completion of a visit to the United States, leadinga high-level delegation, during which he discussed security, political and economic dossiers, after the end of the US troops withdrawal fromIraq,” the statement stressed. Maliki had carried out during his visit, several meetings with US President, Barrack Obama and a number of other officials in the US Administration, centered on bilateral relations and the beginning of the 2nd Phase of the Strategic Agreement, concluded between bothcountries, it added. The statement had quoted Maliki as saying during his meeting with Iraqis in the United States, that the forthcoming phase would be differentthan the previous phase, during which the relations had been of military and security nature, “whilst today, after the close withdrawal ofthe US forces from Iraq, the 2nd phase of the said Strategic Agreement would be of a civilian nature, covering cultural, economic and traderelations.” SKH (PT) 571