Union External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Thursday night returned home after a two-day Iraq visit during which he held talks with top Iraqi leadership on issues of bilateral and mutual interests including imports of oil.
The United States has asked Iran to return the drone that Tehran says was brought down while it was flying over its territory, US President Barack Obama said on Monday, in a first open confirmation by Washington that the aircraft was in Iranian hands.
The United States will have no military bases inside Iraq once it withdraws its troops from the country but will continue to have a strong presence in the Middle East, President Barack Obama has said. "We are taking all of our troops out of Iraq. We will not have any bases inside Iraq. We will have a strong diplomatic presence inside Iraq," Obama said at a news conference along with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The cleric was the only Shia leader to have objected to Shankar's plans for holding meditation classes.
The Iraqi Prime Minister shot back the following day essentially reminding Khalilzad who was in charge in Baghdad.
Maliki has, in the past, seemed impatient for the Iraqi army and police to take over from the United States, perhaps to emphasise his nationalism in the face of an occupying army.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who has undertaken this visit at the invitation of Maliki, is expected to meet with several leaders from the Sunni, Shia and Kurdish parties.
"Iraq has a government elected by its people ... despite all the terrorism and violence the people have spoken and they have elected a government," the British Prime Minister said.
India and Iraq are likely to sign two agreements in the energy sector and cooperation in water resource management.
Michael Knights, a Boston-based Lafer Fellow of The Washington Institute who specialised in the military and security affairs of Iraq, Iran, and the Persian Gulf, spoke to Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa about power of the ISIS and the reasons behind its growth
India became more dependent on Iraqi oil recently after it cut supplies from the sanctions-hit Iran.
India has evinced interest in building refineries and petrochemical plants in Iraq and is keen to source liquefied natural gas (LNG) from its second largest oil supplier.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Wednesday left for Iraq on a two-day visit aimed at deepening India's ties with the oil-rich Arab country.Khurshid, the first Indian external affairs minister to visit Iraq in last 23 years, will hold talks with his Iraqi counterpart Hoshiyar Zebari and discuss bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
'What needs to be pursued as the operations progress is a degree of reconciliation amongst the other parties, less the more orthodox Al Qaeda affiliates.'
ISIS' advances in Iraq and Syria are not just tactical but strategic victories -- born of US errors and confusion
Talmiz Ahmad is a former Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UAE. In an interview with Aditi Phadnis, he says the disequilibrium in Iraq will continue to prevail. Ahmad also says there are indications that the US is now anxious to avoid intervening militarily in West Asia, and that this is the appropriate moment for Asia to assume responsibility for its own security. Edited excerpts:
We take a look at Time magazines top world leaders.
Iraq is on the verge of collapsing and foreign military intervention is inevitable. But for those who follow the developments in Iraq and the Middle-East will understand the current situation is nothing but a culmination of US and western policies toward the region, says Dr Waiel Awwad
The ninth edition of the Global Peace Index, which ranks the nations of the world according to their level of peacefulness, has ranked Syria as the most dangerous country in the world.
The year 2014 is coming to an end. It was the year of conflict, the year of strife. Year 2014 will be remembered for several reasons -- the rise and threat of the Islamic State, the downing of two Malayasia Airlines aircraft and the sudden and effective way of using hastags on social media to generate a buzz about the event. After all, who can forget #theicebucket challenge and the phenomenon it grew into. Read on as we bring you an overview of international news and events of 2014.
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