By Xinhua,
Amman : Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi Wednesday urged Arab countries to dispatch envoys to Baghdad, saying such a move would meet mutual interest.
“We encourage an effective Arab diplomatic presence in Iraq because such a step will fulfill Arab interest before it meets theIraqi interest,” al-Hashemi told reporters after talks with Jordanian Prime Minister Nader Dahabi.
“The rapprochement between Arab countries and Iraq is necessary especially at this difficult juncture,” he added.
The vice president has reportedly referred to the issue of envoy dispatch in talks with both Dahabi and King Abdullah II, who received him Tuesday.
However, neither of them committed their country to reopening the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad.
Jordan named an ambassador to Iraq three years ago but the envoy failed to take up his post due to security situation, according to officials.
However, al-Hashemi said that a forthcoming visit to Jordan by Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki “will represent a turning point in the ties” between the two countries.
The vice president was on a regional tour to seek stronger ties between Iraq and Arab countries.