Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit (L) and Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim attend a joint press conference in Baghdad, Iraq, on Sept. 3, 2019. Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim on Tuesday met with Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit over Arab and regional issues, ahead of a meeting for Arab foreign ministers on Sept. 10. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)
BAGHDAD, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim on Tuesday met with Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit over Arab and regional issues, ahead of a meeting for Arab foreign ministers on Sept. 10.
In a joint press conference after their meeting, al-Hakim told reporters that "we have discussed the Arab situation in general, and the security of the Gulf and navigation, and we clarified Iraq's position on efforts to ease the tension between the U.S. and Iran in the Gulf."
"We have explained ... Iraq's position on the Israeli attacks against Arab countries," al-Hakim said, adding that they also discussed other significant regional issues.
Aboul-Gheit told the press conference "my presence here in Baghdad came to prepare for the meeting of foreign ministers of the League of Arab states in Cairo, which will be chaired by Iraq and scheduled to be held on Sept. 10."
Aboul-Gheit arrived at Baghdad airport earlier in the day.
The visit comes amid tensions in the Middle East region between the United States and Iran, and the explosions of arms depots of the paramilitary Hashd Shaabi bases in Iraq, as well as the recent bombardments on positions in Syria and Lebanon.
