Baghdad – Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein, met with the President of the Security Council, the Permanent Representative of France for the month of July, Nicolas de Riviere.
A Foreign Ministry statement stated, “at the beginning of the meeting, the Minister expressed his thanks and appreciation for France’s supportive stance for Iraq in its request for electoral observation, stressing that the elections are very important for Iraq’s stability and future, and for consolidating the foundations of democracy through the confidence of the masses, and that the international role of election monitoring is very necessary to enhance the level of transparency and voter confidence in the electoral process.
The statement added, “the future of the US military presence in Iraq was discussed, as the Minister clarified that the Iraqi government is keen to cooperate with the international community in the fight against terrorism, and from this standpoint, the outcomes of the fourth round of the strategic dialogue with the United States included the withdrawal of American combat forces from Iraq. By the end of this year, cooperation will continue in the areas of training and advice to enhance the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces in combating terrorism, especially since the threat of ISIS still exists in terms of ideology and organization, taking into account its presence in Iraq and Syria, with the presence of other terrorist organizations seeking to move across the borders. Therefore, we are working in cooperation with the international community to eliminate ISIS, to confront the terrorist threat and end its existence and its sources of funding.”
The Minister touched on the Iraqi vision of a more stable region, referring to the orientations of the Iraqi foreign policy based on interaction and cooperation, and the promotion of dialogue with neighboring countries.
He indicated that “Iraq supports the language of dialogue and negotiation to find constructive and sustainable solutions that satisfy all parties, and believes that it is necessary to focus on the file of sanctions as a priority during the negotiations, and an important entry point for achieving progress towards a sustainable solution.”
For his part, the President of the Security Council, Nicolas de Riviere, offered his condolences to the Iraqi government and the families of the victims of terrorist attacks in Iraq, stressing the continuation of the French role in support of Iraq, pointing to the visit of the French President to Iraq as evidence of the importance of Iraq and the level of progress achieved by relations at the bilateral level, which is a natural consequence of Iraq’s position and its importance to the stability of the region in the efforts of the war on terrorism.”
He said, “we are working directly with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) to secure the maximum possible role for the UN in the field of electoral observation, and we have provided a financial grant to UNAMI to enhance its role in the field of electoral assistance.”
Source: National Iraqi News Agency