Jordanian FM pays surprise visit to Baghdad

By Ibrahim Saleh

BAGHDAD

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has met with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, who paid a surprise visit to Baghdad on Thursday, according to Iraqi state television.

Safadi is the first Arab official to visit Iraq since the country unveiled its new cabinet -- following months of political wrangling -- on Oct. 25.

Safadi also reportedly met with Iraqi President Barham Salih and Iraqi FM Mohamed al-Hakim, with whom he discussed Iraq-Jordan relations.

Under a 2013 agreement between the two countries, 15,000 barrels of Iraq’s daily petroleum exports are reserved for Jordan’s Al-Zarqaa oil refinery.

Jordan, which shares a border with Iraq, is a part of a U.S.-led coalition against the Daesh terrorist group.