WASHINGTON, May 24 (KUNA) -- Vice President Joe Biden spoke on Friday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki with discussion focused on Syria, and agreed on the importance of a negotiated end to the bloody conflict in the Arab country, the White House said.
Biden expressed concern about the security situation in Iraq and pledged continued US support for Iraq in its fight against terrorism, it said in a statement.
The conflict in Syria killed more than 80,000 people and displaced millions of people inside and outside the country.
The Vice President also spoke about "the importance of outreach to leaders across the political spectrum," the statement said.
Both leaders expressed their commitment to deepening the US-Iraq strategic partnership, as outlined in the Strategic Framework Agreement, it said.
On Thursday, Biden spoke with Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani and Iraqi Council of Representatives Speaker Osama Nujaifi, according to a separate announcement released by the White House on Friday.
With Barzani, Biden commended the return of Kurdish ministers and parliamentarians to Baghdad, and "stressed the importance of engagement by all sides to seek solutions to contentious issues under the Iraqi Constitution," the statement said.
With Nujaifi, the Vice President expressed concern about the security situation in Iraq, "stressing the need for all of Iraq's political leadership to unequivocally renounce violence and seek to marginalize extremists," it said.
All three leaders reaffirmed the importance of the US-Iraq strategic partnership, it said. (end) rm.bs KUNA 250026 May 13NNNN