Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Regional meeting on Iraq held in Saudi
Security, Regional
Interior Minister Jawad al-Bulani has left for Jeddah to meet with the interior ministers of the seven states bordering Iraq for a three-day conference, international media reported on September 18. The meeting, hosted by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayif bin Abd al-Aziz al-Sa'ud, will focus on regional security and is expected to result in the signing of a security cooperation agreement between Iraq and its neighbours. The agreement, which has been in the works for months, will include provisions aimed at securing borders and preventing cross-border weapons smuggling and border crossings, both by insurgents and would-be pilgrims. The conference between Iraq and its neighbours is the third of its kind; Turkey hosted the 2005 Iraq neighbours conference, while Iran hosted the previous year's conference.
