Talabani seeks foreign investment in Iraq

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told the U.N. General Assembly Friday his country is trying to build a democratic state open to all sects and ethnicities.

Noting Iraq has shed the sanctions and restrictions imposed after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, Talabani said the international community has opportunities to invest in Iraq's hydrocarbons industry, a U.N. release said Friday. He said the government is working hard to encourage investment and provide a regulatory environment that ensures investors their capital is safe.

Talabani also said Iraq is capable of combating terrorism and providing for its own security after U.S. forces leave at the end of this year. He said the Middle East should be free of weapons of mass destruction and enjoined Israel to submit its nuclear program to the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency.