The White House says President Bush and Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki will meet next week in Jordan to discuss improving the security situation in Iraq. In a joint statement late Tuesday, the two leaders said they will meet on November 29 and 30 in Amman.
We do not believe the trip indicates that Bush has decided to engage Syria and Iran on Iraq, but we will monitor developments for changes. Furthermore, we do not believe the trip will have any relation or relevance to the Israeli - Palestinian conflict as was reported by Reuters last week - there simply has been no talk about that aside from the one report.
Bush and Maliki said they reiterate their commitment to a peaceful, democratic and secure Iraq, and to strengthening their bilateral partnership. Earlier, National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe urged Syria to show its commitment to Iraq and to help stop the flow of terrorists from entering the war-torn country. In other news, Iraqi officials say President Jalal Talabani will travel to Tehran on Saturday to meet Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
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