US Deputy Secretary reaffirms US commitment to help Iraq overcome threat of terrorism

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The US Deputy Secretary Bill Burns reaffirmed the US commitment to Iraq to overcome the threat of terrorism.

A statement by the US embassy to Iraq received by IraqiNews.com cited “Burns traveled to Iraq in June 28-30 for meetings with Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and other Iraqi leaders. These meetings allowed them to discuss the full range of bilateral and regional issues, including the ongoing crisis in Syria. In all of his meetings, the Deputy Secretary reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to help Iraq overcome the threat of terrorism and to continue working with Iraq’s leaders and people to strengthen the U.S.-Iraq relationship under the Strategic Framework Agreement.”

“Burns also awarded the 2012 Human Rights Defender Award to the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization. He noted that dialogue between governments and civil society groups is an essential part of any democracy,” the statement concluded.