Arab ministers discuss Iraqi progress

AMMAN, Jordan, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A delegation from Middle East and Gulf states Wednesday prepared to brief interior ministers in Jordan on the improvements made in neighboring Iraq.

Officials from Iran, Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Syria met in the Jordanian capital, Amman, to discuss Iraqi developments as part of the fifth Meeting of the Ministers of Interior of Iraq's Neighbors.

The delegation made preparations for a ministerial meeting on border security and efforts to curb the activities of transnational and regional terrorist groups, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.

"A stable and secure Iraq is key to regional stability and security," said Kuwait's interior minister, Jaber al-Khalid al-Sabah. "The region is an inseparable whole, and instability in any part of it will definitely have repercussions on other parts."

Tehran in 2004 hosted the first ministerial meeting. Turkey plans to host the sixth summit in 2009, followed annually by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, indicating there is strong regional support for Iraqi recovery.

The ministers plan to hold a conference on Thursday to review progress on Iraqi and other regional matters.