Water resources minister to accompany al-Maliki in Syria’s visit

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Minister of Water Resources Abdullatief Jamal Rashied will accompany Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in his visit to Syria on Tuesday to discuss with his Syrian counterpart the joint water issue, according to a ministry’s statement. “The minister will leave for Syria among al-Maliki’s official delegation to discuss the lack of water issue with his Syrian counterpart and to guarantee Iraq ‘s share of water from the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers,” said the statement received by Iraqi News. Al-Maliki will head for Syria on Tuesday (Aug. 18) in response to an invitation from his Syrian counterpart to hold talks on boosting bilateral ties. Al-Maliki’s last visit to Syria was in August 2007, during which he met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. SH (P)/SR 1