Saturday, December 17, 2011

Biden speaks on phone with Iraqi Kurdish leaders

December 17, 2011

Biden speaks on phone with Iraqi Kurdish leaders

US Vice President Joseph Biden spoke on the phone Friday with Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani and Iraqi Council of Representatives Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi to mark the historic end of the US war in Iraq, the White House announced.

The leaders also discussed the recent visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to Washington.

According to a White House statement, the leaders discussed the current political climate in Baghdad, and the vice president "reiterated the United States' longstanding support for an inclusive partnership government in Iraq" and for a long-term strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq.

The White House did not say who initiated the call.

"Biden and Barzani also reaffirmed the longstanding friendship between the American and Kurdish people and discussed the vice president's recent visit to Turkey," the statement said.

US forces formally marked the end of their mission in Iraq with a low-key ceremony near Baghdad on Thursday.

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