Iraqi FM lauds Kuwait for reconstruction efforts

AMMAN, May 6 (KUNA) -- Iraq's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari on Sunday extoled Kuwait's initiative and efforts for reconstruction in his country.
These were capped with the Kuwait International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq (KICRI), last February, when contributions hit USD 30 billion, to be offered to Iraq in the form of loans and investment projects, Al-Jaafari told a press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Al-Safadi in Amman.
Meanwhile, the minister stressed that Iraq is still handling the consequences of the war against "terror" saying that, "Once that page of terrorism turns over, it is normal that we open a new one for reconstruction." He described Kuwait's initiative as a good one, urging "the world, including Jordan, to support us." Following the defeat of the so-called Islamic State (IS), Iraq is now waging a war on corruption, paving the way for reconstruction, he said.
Meanwhile, Al-Jaafari called for recovering Syrian representation at the Arab League.
"What concerns us is that the Syrian people be represented at the Arab League. People's will must be respected, regardless of leaders," he said.
On bilateral ties, the chief Iraqi diplomat said they were eager to overcome differences, lauding the Kingdom's efforts to streamline participation of the Iraqis community in Jordan in the forthcoming elections at home.
Addressing the conference, the Jordanian Foreign Minister renewed rejection of the US decision recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Jordan utterly rejects the move and reaffirms the need for breaking the deadlock in the Middle East peace process, to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, Al-Safadi said.
In the meantime, the minister pointed to security coordination with Iraq to counter terrorism, referring to legislatives being prepared to boost cooperation. (end) ab.msa