Talabani calls on German companies to invest in Iraq

Iraq-Germany BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Tuesday called on German companies to invest in Iraq and to take part in the reconstruction efforts there. “Talabani on Tuesday morning (Feb. 17) received a high-profile German delegation led by Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier at al-Salam Palace in Baghdad,” said a presidential statement received by IraqiNews.com news agency. “The meeting focused on means of fostering bilateral ties in various domains,” the statement added. “The president called on German companies to contribute in reconstructing Iraq and to invest in different fields, mainly in energy and electricity,” it noted. For his part, the German minister expressed his country’s desire to develop political, economic and commercial relations with Iraq. He asserted his country’s readiness to help Iraq in scientific fields and in cultural exchange. Steinmeier had arrived in Baghdad earlier in the day. The top German diplomat will leave Baghdad to the Kurdish region’s capital Arbil on Wednesday to inaugurate the German consulate there. Steinmeier’s visit to Iraq is the first by a top German official since 2003. SH (S)/SR 1