9-09-08, 9:40 am

A delegation from the Iraqi Communist Party headed by Hamid Majeed Mousa, the secretary of the party's Central Committee, met with the Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki yesterday, Monday, 8 September 2008, at his head office in Baghdad. The delegation of the party included Central Committee members Mufid al-Jazairy, Raed Fahmi, Izzat Abu al-Timman and Jassim al-Hilfi.

The two sides considered the political developments in the country, and ways to develop the path of the political process. Discussions covered a number of issues, including the security agreement between Baghdad and Washington, with emphasis on standards of transparency, adherence to national principles, and preserving and safeguarding Iraq's independence and sovereignty.

The relationship between the federal government and the Kurdistan region was also discussed, stressing the need for resolving contentious issues through dialogue as principal means for their resolution. In this context, the two sides expressed their commitment to continue the efforts to serve the interests of the Iraqi people and their progress.

The meeting also dealt with the successes in security, the achievements of the Iraqi armed forces as indicated by their improved performance in the field, as well as the importance of addressing the shortcomings associated with security operations.

The two sides also stressed the need to achieve a qualitative leap in services, with regard to improving the energy, water, health, education and environment sectors. They also reaffirmed the need for the security effort on the ground to be combined with a package of measures designed to provide better services to the citizens.

Source: 'Tareek Al-Shaab,' daily paper of the Iraqi Communist Party