Iraqi-U.S. talks to develop agricultural, water resources sectors

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: An Iraqi official on Thursday discussed with a U.S. delegation means to activate cooperation and partnership in the fields of agriculture, water resources and future development projects, according to a statement by the Agricultural Initiative Committee. “The committee vice chairman, Hussein al-Wassiti received a delegation under the U.S. assistant secretary of defense for economic affairs and had talks together on means to accelerate Iraqi-U.S. agro-projects,” read the statement as received by IraqiNews.com news agency. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki had launched an initiative to enhance the agricultural sector in the country in July 2007. The initiative should set a time frame of 10 years for Iraq to reach the state of self-sufficiency in strategic crops. Maliki’s initiative also envisages, inter alia , providing farmers with seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. AmR (P) 1