Talabani said in a joint press conference with Rice, who arrived in Baghdad yesterday in a sudden visit, that he focused on two essential points during his interview with the American minister: the agreement among the political blocs through signing the document of preventing Iraqi bloodshed and the cooperation between the tribes in Anbar and the government to face and prosecute terrorists.
Rice has arrived yesterday morning, Friday, to Erbil and met with the President of Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani. She invited regional leaders to cooperate with Baghdad to establish a unified, democratic Iraq and to share oil wealth, while Barzani emphasized that the "Kurdistan Parliament approved the federal system within the framework of a democratic Iraq." The discussions aimed to persuade regional leaders to support the law that provides for the sharing of oil wealth among all Iraqis.
Rice renewed her government's commitment to assist the Iraqis in building their state and reconstructing Iraq, indicating that sectarian violence is a strategic threat and added that "of all the threats faced by Iraq are Al-Qaida rebels and sectarian violence… A solution must be found to that. "She said that there are three major bases of stability: reconciliation, security and economic development.
Rice met with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and praised his "excellent leadership". She also confirmed that the United States would "remain a committed friend of Iraq" and added: "They are, without a doubt, difficult times for Iraqis but they are strong", expressing the readiness of her government to provide various kinds of support to the Iraqi government to resolve the problems faced.
On his part, Al-Malki confirmed, during the meeting, the government's determination to deal with the terrorists with all its strength through the development of the capabilities of security and military agencies. He pointed out to the necessity of keeping arms in the hands of government alone and works to contain the militia issue. He said that the Iraqi government was determined to establish the best relations with neighboring countries on the basis of common interests and that Iraq would not be a conduit for harm to any of them; however, the sovereignty of Iraq will not be the subject of discussion with any party.(SOurce)AlMada
