Iraqi Premier Nuri Al-Maliki Will Visit Germany And Italy Next Week In A Bid To Encourage Investments And Joint Projects, Government Spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh Said On Thursday.
Maliki Will Visit Germany Before Arriving In Italy On July 24 For Talks With Premier Silvio Berlusconi And Pope Benedict Xvi On July 25.
Talks With Berlusconi Will Focus On ''Increasing Bilateral Cooperation, Encouraging Investments And Activating Joint Projects,'' Said Al-Dabbagh.
Italy Did Not Take Part In The Us-Led War On Iraq But At One Point Deployed 3,200 Troops In The Country, Making It The Fourth Largest Contingent After The American, British And South Korean.
The Italian Contingent Withdrew From Iraq At The End Of 2006.
During His Meeting With Benedict, Maliki Will Brief The Pope On ''The Drive By The Iraqi Government To Spread The Values Of Tolerance, Equality, Justice And National Reconciliation Among Iraqis And Its Efforts To Create A Democratic Country''.
Earlier This Week, The Vatican Said Benedict Would Receive Maliki At His Summer Residence At Castel Gandolfo, Outside Rome.
Vatican Secretary Of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Will Be Present At The Meeting.
The Pope Has Repeatedly Called For An End To Violence And Inter-Religious Strife In Iraq, Especially Against The Christian Minority In The Country.
He Condemned The February Kidnapping And Murder Of Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Of Mosul, Paulos Faraj Rahho. As An ''Act Of Inhuman Violence That Offends The Dignity Of The Human Being''.
