Trump to call Abadi on Thursday: political source
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks by phone with the Saudi Arabia’s King Salman in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. January 29, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Alsumaria News quoted “an informed political source” a saying that the call will tackle political and security developments in Iraq and the Middle East, but did not mention specifics.
This would be the first phone call Trump makes with Abadi since he assumed U.S. presidency on January 20th.
Both leaders talked on phone on January 18th. In that call, Trump pledged support for Iraq and invited the Iraqi premier to visit the United States.
Trump has set the war against Islamic State militants as a top priority for his administration. Iraq is nearing towards eliminating the extremist group from its territories, with a few months predicted to clear the western side of Mosul, IS’s largest stronghold in the country, from militants.
The source did not mention whether the call would tackle a controversial travel and entry ban Trump ordered late January for U.S.-bound migrants from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iraq. The ban, which was recently revoked by a U.S. court but faces an appeal from the U.S. administration, had caused disorder at several world airports, and ignited protests inside the United States. Iraq had demanded the U.S. to reconsider the ban, and later welcomed the court ruling which reversed it.