Iraqi PM to visit White House

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki will meet President Barack Obama at the White House on November 1, US officials said. The talks will come with Iraq embroiled in sectarian violence, which has raised fears of a relapse into the bloodshed that killed thousands of people during 2006-2007 under the US occupation. Washington has complained to Maliki about Iraq allowing Iranian planes with arms shipments destined for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime to fly over its territory. The White House said the Obama-Maliki talks would focus on a US-Iraq Strategic Framework agreement that governs relations between the country following the final US troop withdrawal in 2011. The pact is designed to provide a bedrock framework for financial, diplomatic and political ties between Iraq and Washington. A White House statement said that the leaders would also talk about coordinating on "regional issues." Source: AFP