Following Wednesday’s meeting with the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Dr Usama al-Nujaifi, Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague said:

“I was delighted to see Dr Usama al-Nujaifi in the UK for his first official visit. I reaffirmed the UK’s resolve to continue supporting the government and people of Iraq as they embrace democracy, reconciliation and economic development.

“We agreed that it was vital to further strengthen our links in trade, commerce, education, and defence and looked forward to doing so in the coming months and years.

“I reaffirmed the UK’s resolve to continue supporting the government and people of Iraq as they embrace democracy, reconciliation and economic development.“