Iraq’s diplomacy reaches high level – deputy premier

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister Burham Saleh, said on Thursday that the Iraqi diplomacy has reached a high level. This came during his speech at the investment conference in Iraq held in the British capital London. “The Iraqi diplomacy has reached a developed level and the national reconciliation is one of the Iraqi government’s priorities, along with good political development in Iraq,” Saleh said. “We are here to encourage those who want to invest in Iraq which is the first key of the economy in the region,” he explained. “The government put plans to develop the investment reality and the unemployment percentage which reached its lowest level,” the official added. “Iraq needs a better economy, and there is no doubt that Iraq has realized its achievements recently,” Saleh said. The London-based conference on investment opportunities in Iraq opened on Thursday with the participation of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The conference, organized by the U.K. Ministry of Development, is presided over by Deputy Premier Burham Saleh. Representatives from around 250 companies, from Shell to Rolls Royce and Barclays Capital, will join Iraqi leaders, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Deputy PM Burham Saleh and Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahrestani, for two days of talks. The Iraqi delegation had previously said it would offer a map of 500 investment opportunities in 11 sectors, including petroleum, infrastructure, finance and banking services and tourism. Later today, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is set to meet with his British counterpart Gordon Brown. They are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding for further cooperation between Baghdad and London. PM al-Maliki is expected to meet with Queen Elizabeth II.   SH (S)/SR 1