His Majesty King Abdullah on Saturday held talks with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on bilateral ties and regional issues.

During a Raghadan Palace meeting, King Abdullah and Talabani said that the Jordanian-Iraqi ties were “on the right track,” stressing that they were determined to remove obstacles facing such relations.

Reiterating that Amman was keen to enhance relations with Baghdad, the King told the president that Jordan respects the Iraqis' choice.

“We, in Jordan, will not allow any attempt targeting the Iraqi people and their political leadership,” the King emphasized, saying that the Kingdom firmly stands by Iraq in fighting terrorism.

“We are also against all incitement attempts, which are exercised by some on media, political or religious platforms, against the Iraqi people.” The King noted that Jordan is training Iraqi security personnel and that he ordered the return of the ambassador to Baghdad as soon as possible after the Iraqi side was ready to protect the embassy there.

Talabani was accompanied by Ambassador Ata Abdul Wahab, who was returning to Amman after a six-week absence for consultations.

The two leaders stressed the importance of activating the work of the joint higher committee to boost cooperation, particularly Jordan's contribution to rebuilding Iraq.

For his part, Talabani said the new Iraqi government was determined to enhance bilateral relations, adding that his visit to the Kingdom is to help strengthen the Amman-Baghdad ties. The Iraqi leader is on his first trip abroad since he was elected in April.

He commended Jordan's stand against terrorism, which is affecting the entire region, saying that the Iraqi government is fighting terror and needs the backing of country's neighbors to accomplish its mission.

During his visit Saturday, the Iraqi president visited the Royal tombs and attended a lunch hosted by Prime Minister Adnan Badran. The two sides held talks on bilateral relations and expressed willingness to improve ties in all fields.

The Jordan Times