Iraqi FM lands in Beirut to discuss ties with Lebanon

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Foreign Minister of Iraq Ibrahim al-Jaafari arrived in Beirut on Tuesday for talks on bilateral diplomacy between the two nations with Lebanese officials.

Jaafari met with President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace to discuss relations between the two countries, and “the means of strengthening them,” Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Mahjoub said in a statement.

The Iraqi minister will also meet with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and other officials, Mahjoub added.

Before Lebanon, Jaafari visited Syria where he met with senior Syrian officials, including President Bashar al-Assad.

This is Jaafari’s last foreign tour as part of the cabinet of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, which will likely be replaced by a new government within two weeks if Prime Minister-designate Adel Abdul Mahdi is successful in forming one that Iraq's parliament approves.

During Jaafari's meetings with Syrian officials, he discussed the reopening of border crossings between the two countries.

The Iraqi government said on Monday that a high-level Syrian delegation would visit Baghdad in the next few days to discuss ending their closure, active in recent years due to the fight against the Islamic State (IS).

Syria and Iraq have three crossing gates: al-Qaim, Rabia, and al-Waleed.

Editing by John J. Catherine