The Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani, has met the UAE's ambassador to Iraq, Abdullah al Shehi, to discuss strengthening political and business ties between the two countries. Mr Talabani stressed the need for Emirati companies to invest in the reconstruction of Iraq county during the meeting at the Al Salam palace in Baghdad, the state news agency, WAM, reported yesterday.
Mr al Shehi reiterated the UAE's support for the Iraqi government. The UAE envoy has already held meetings with the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al Maliki; speaker of the Iraqi House of Representatives, Mahmoud al Mashhadani; and Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffaq al Rubaie. Mr Talabani said he was pleased that the UAE Embassy in Baghdad has been reopened. In July, the UAE named Mr al Shehi ambassador to Baghdad, making it the first GCC nation to reopen its embassy in the Iraqi capital since the fall of Saddam Hussain. Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain followed.
The UAE has written off all of Iraq's debt, estimated to be US$7 billion. lmorris@thenational.ae
