Talabani urges Arabs to open embassies

SULAIMANIYA / IraqiNews.com: Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa on Thursday said that the issue of reconciliation figured high on the agenda of his talks with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who called on Arab countries to come to Iraq and open their embassies there. “The great development I have seen in Sulaimaniya was amazing and I really congratulate President Talabani over that. We have reviewed a host of issues including national reconciliation and Iraqi national accordance,” Moussa said during a joint press conference he held with the Iraqi president after their meeting in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya on Thursday. Talabani, for his part, said he appreciates the role played by the Arab League and its secretary general, Moussa, in support for Iraq and its march. “Iraq pins high hopes on the League’s contribution to enhance Iraq and its role to encourage Arab brothers to open embassies in the country,” Talabani said. Moussa had arrived earlier on Thursday at the Sulaimaniya International Airport, where he was received by Deputy Premier Burham Saleh and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. Ahead of his visit to Sulaimaniya, Moussa has visited the holy Shiite city of Najaf and met with top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. The Arab League chief had arrived in Baghdad on Monday (March 16) and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Vice President Adel Abdulmahdi and Premiers Saleh and Rafie al-Issawi, Foreign Minister Zebari, Defense Minister Abdulqader Mohammed Jassem, Interior Minister Jawad al-Bulani, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed al-Dulaimi and al-Islah Bloc leader Ibrahim al-Jaafari. AmR (S) 2