Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Iraqi FM: Reconciliation conference to be held soon
Security, Politics, Region
Visiting Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Tuesday that an Iraqi national reconciliation conference will be held in Baghdad soon, Egypt's news agency MENA reported. The conference, grouping all powers, including the government and the opposition factions, is aimed at ending the security deterioration in the war-torn nation, Zebari was quoted as saying. Zebari, who arrived here for a foreign ministerial meeting of Iraq's neighboring countries to be held in Cairo later on Tuesday, made the remarks after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. According to MENA, Zebari informed Mubarak the outcome of last week's meeting in Jordan between Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and U.S. President George W. Bush and the latest developments in Iraq as well as efforts exerted to calm down Iraq's situation.
Zebari said the situation in Iraq is very difficult given the presence of the international forces and the armed groups, adding Cairo will host within the coming period several meetings by senior Iraqi officials, including President Jalal Talabani and premier Maliki. On the Iraqi-Syrian relations, Zibari said a new stage has started with the visit of Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem to Baghdad and the Iraqi flag will be hoisted on the Iraqi Embassyin Damascus soon and vice versa. Despite the assassination of the Egyptian ambassador to post-war Iraq Ihab al-Sharif after being kidnapped in July 2005, Iraq hopes Egypt to send another ambassador to Baghdad, said the Iraqi foreign minister.
