PM receives Abu Dhabi crown prince

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Tuesday received Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and UAE deputy army commander, and his accompanying delegation during a ceremony held at the Baghdad International Airport. “The ceremony was attended by senior Iraqi officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Rafeaa al-Eisawi, Deputy Speaker of the parliament Sheikh Khaled al-Attiya as well as a number of ministers and lawmakers. Abu Dhabi crown prince had arrived in Baghdad earlier as a landmark visit to Iraq to discuss key issues with Iraqi officials. “Deputy commander of UAE armed forces and the crown prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed al-Nahayan and a high-level delegation arrived in Baghdad to hold talks with Iraqi official on means to boost cooperation between the two countries” a cabinet’s source told IraqiNews.com. The United Arab Emirates is the first Gulf Arab country to write off all of Iraq’s debt. It has cancelled almost $7 billion of Iraq’s debt including interest and arrears payments owed by Baghdad. SH (P) 1