President Barack Obama sketched the outlines of a new US-Iraqi relationship today by saying it was time to broaden ties that had been forged in war.
"The United States and Iraq have known difficult times together. Now both of us agree that the bonds forged between Americans and Iraqis in war can pave the way for progress that can be forged in peace," Mr Obama said.
Standing beside Obama in the White House Rose Garden, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced plans for a foreign investor conference in October.
"All of this comes as a natural reaction to the stability and to the direction of the Iraqi national unity government to provide what is needed for rebuilding, reconstruction of a country that was destroyed by wars, by dictatorship," Mr Maliki said.
Earlier the Iraqi prime minister had urged the five permanent UN Security Council members to cancel his country's obligation to pay Kuwait billions of dollars in war reparations.
After the 1991 Gulf war, the Security Council ordered Iraq to compensate countries that suffered as a result of its 1990-1991 occupation of neighbouring Kuwait. Currently Baghdad must aside 5 per cent of its oil revenues for reparations, most of which go to Kuwait.
Mr Maliki told delegations from the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China that Iraq was no longer a threat to international peace and security as it was in 1991 when the late Saddam Hussein ruled the country.
It was to contain future threats that the international community imposed legally enforceable sanctions and other restrictions on Iraq under Chapter 7 of the UN charter.
"All the decisions that were made previously on Iraq because of the sanctions and because of Iraq being a threat to the international community isn't required . . . anymore," he told reporters through an interpreter after the closed-door meeting.
Mr Maliki said he was confident his pleas were being taken seriously.
Iraq says the reparations are an unfair burden and wants the percentage reduced so it has more money for reconstruction and development.
Kuwait strongly opposes ending Iraq's Chapter 7 status, however, and has so far successfully lobbied Security Council members. But council diplomats say they may vote to lift the restrictions at the end of this year, which would enable Iraq to renegotiate the amount of reparations it pays to Kuwait.
Iraq has said it still owes $25.5 billion in reparations, $24 billion to Kuwait alone.
Reuters