Iraq, Britain discuss bilateral relations

British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, Tuesday received Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hoshyar Zebari, for a meeting in which they discussed the need to facilitate travel and transportation between the two countries. "Iraqi-British relations and means for developing them were reviewed during the talks that took place at the inauguration of the Supreme Action Committee.  The aim was to follow up on the activation of bilateral relations, based on mutual interests and benefits from British expertise in construction and development projects," a statement issued by the Iraqi foreign ministry stated. For his part, the British Foreign Secretary confirmed that the British Embassy is soon to open a centre to receive British visa applications directly in Baghdad. A number of regional issues, including the developments in Syria, the Iranian nuclear programme and the rising Iraqi role in the regional, were also discussed during the meeting. Earlier that day, the British-Iraqi Parliamentary Committee hosted Minister Zebari in a meeting at the House of Lords in the British Houses of Parliament.  During the meeting Minister Zebari reviewed the political, security, economic, and investment developments in Iraq, confirming the progress and democratic transition achieved in the country and the efforts taking place to address the current political and security challenges in the country. A number of Members in the House of Lords, British businessmen and representatives of companies and staff of the Iraqi Embassy in London attended the session. Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee, Emma Nicholson, welcomed the Minister and the delegation accompanying him, praising the efforts exerted by the Iraqi Government and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to restore the Iraqi role.