Jordan Times
Sunday, May 1, 2005
Badran congratulates Jaafari
on new gov't
AMMAN/ISTANBUL (Petra) — Prime Minister Adnan Badran telephoned his Iraqi
counterpart Ibrahim Jaafari on Friday to congratulate him on the formation of a
new government.
Badran commended the Iraqis' efforts to build and
strengthen their political institutions, stressing the Kingdom's keenness for
Iraq to maintain its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
During the telephone conversation, Badran extended an invitation to his Iraqi
counterpart to visit Jordan.
Jaafari conveyed his greetings to His Majesty King Abdullah, expressing his
willingness to work more closely and cooperate with the Jordanian government for
the best of the two nations.
On Thursday, Iraq's interim national assembly approved a partial lineup for
Iraq's first elected government after nearly three months of political
wrangling.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Farouq Qasrawi on Saturday expressed the Kingdom's
readiness to provide all forms of assistance to the UN mission in Iraq to
support the Iraqi people.
At a meeting with UN envoy to Iraq Ashraf Qazi on the sidelines of the Istanbul
meeting of Iraq's neighbours on Friday, Qasrawi stressed the Kingdom's continued
support for UN efforts in Iraq.
Qazi commended the Kingdom's role and its efforts to facilitate the mission of
regional and international organisations working to assist the Iraqis.
Qasrawi also met with Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary
General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu in Istanbul. They discussed regional developments,
especially the Palestinian and the Iraqi issues.
In addition, they reviewed topics to be tackled during the OIC meeting to be
held in Sanaa.
During the meeting, Ihsanoglu commended King Abdullah's efforts to promote the
true image of Islam, its tolerance, equality and justice.
Qasrawi also met with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmad Abul Gheit.
They exchanged viewpoints on the issues listed on the agenda of the meeting of
Iraq's neighbours, and reviewed regional issues. Discussions also covered ways
to enhance bilateral cooperation and promote political coordination.