Jordan King, Iraqi Vp Stress Need To Fight Terrorism

King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday received Iraqi Vice-President Usama al-Nujayfi in Amman and hailed the Iraqi government's fight against terrorism, which, he said, posed a threat to regional security and stability.



King Abdullah, Jordan's Petra press agency reported, had "stressed Jordan's keenness to strengthen Jordanian-Iraqi relations in various fields to achieve the common interests of the two countries and peoples."



The two leaders also discussed "international and regional efforts to combat terrorism and the threat of terrorist gangs and extremist ideology," Petra reported.



The Jordanian monarch went on to stress "the need to support the Iraqi government's efforts to deal firmly with this danger, which threatens the security and stability of the region," according to the news agency.



Al-Nujayfi, for his part, expressed his country's appreciation for King Abdullah's "numerous actions in support of Iraq and its people, and his eagerness to achieve peace… in the region."



King Abdullah also received a phone call from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, in which the two men discussed recent regional developments and Baghdad's efforts to fight terrorist groups and means of boosting bilateral cooperation.



Over the past few days, Iraqi forces have managed to retake from the Daesh militant group the towns of Ad-Dawr and Al-Alam near the city of Tikrit in the northern Saladin province, along with dozens of other villages.



Jordan is a member of a joint Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia that has been carrying out airstrikes against Houthi positions since last week.



Iraq, for its part, has refrained from joining the Saudi-led coalition.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Amman