Iraq welcomes Arab delegates in Erbil

ERBIL, Iraq, March 11 (UPI) -- The Iraqi Parliament speaker and the president of the autonomous Kurdistan area welcomed Arab delegates at a conference in Erbil Tuesday.

"I'd like to welcome all of you in your second country, Iraq, the nation of glory and civilization, with all wishes of success for this conference," speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani said.

The speaker said solidarity between Arab parliaments and the government of Iraq was needed in order "to attain the highest degree of legal cooperation and coordination."

Mashhadani also thanked "the brothers in the Iraqi Kurdistan" for hosting the 50th conference of the Arab Inter-parliamentary Union.

Kurdish President Massoud Barzani welcomed the Arab delegation, saying, "This is an historical event and we are proud that it is taking place in Erbil," the Kurdistan Globe noted.

Nineteen members of the 22-member APU attended the conference, with Libya, Somalia and Comoros abstaining.

APU Secretary-General Nour al-Din Boushkog said that a Libyan official would "pay a visit to (the region) soon," noting the diplomatic channels were still open, Voices of Iraq reported.

The conference started ahead of the Arab League summit scheduled in Damascus toward the end of March and is expected to raise several issues concerning the Arab world including Palestine and Lebanon.