Readout of Vice President Biden's Calls to Iraqi Leaders

Vice President Biden spoke on the phone today with Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani and Iraqi Council of Representatives Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi to mark the historic end of the U.S. war in Iraq and to discuss the recent visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to Washington. The leaders discussed the current political climate in Baghdad, and the Vice President reiterated the United States' longstanding support for an inclusive partnership government in Iraq and for a long-term strategic partnership between our nations under the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement. The Vice President and President Barzani reaffirmed the longstanding friendship between the American and Kurdish people and discussed the Vice President's recent visit to Turkey. The Vice President praised Speaker Nujaifi's responsible stewardship of the Iraqi Council of Representatives.