Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim says, “The visit to Iraq by the Egyptian Prime Minister is a more serious step to deepen the relations between both countries.

Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), welcomed the visit to Iraq by Egyptian Prime Minister, Dr. Hisham Qandeel, and the accompanying delegation, regarding this visit as a more serious step to deepen the relations between Iraq and Egypt. His Eminence described the relations between Iraq and Egypt and between both Egyptian and Iraqi nations as historic.
This came up when His Eminence met the Egyptian Prime Minister and the delegation accompanying him at his Baghdad office on Tuesday, March 5, 2013, calling for removing the administrative blocks before the Iraqis entering Egypt and stressing the necessity of creating administrative facilities that ease communication in the economic field. He drew attention to both Egypt and Iraq having the opportunities and the resources, which requires exchanging and integrating the roles in order to reach the end of serving the region’s stability.
His Eminence stressed that the sectarian and religious tensions witnessed by the region follows political agendas, and that the Arab nations have lived loving each other and in solidarity among themselves despite their various sects and creeds, stressing the necessity of pleasing the souls and removing these tensions. He regarded Iraq and Egypt as qualified to draw a sound route for disseminating love and peace in the region.
The head of the Supreme Council invited the rector of the sacred al-Azhar to visit Iraq and to meet the religious authorities in al-Najaf al-Ashraf. His eminence shed light on the role of the religious authority in al-Najaf al-Ashraf and also on holy al-Azhar’s role in disseminating love and harmony among the region’s nations. He reminded everyone of the role of the leader of the sect, imam Sayyid Muhsin al-Hakim (may his soul be sanctified) and his stances in defense of Islam and of his famous letter to President Jamal Abdul-Nasir to stop the execution of the great scholar, Sayyid Qutb, pointing out to Imam al-Sistani (may his shade prolong) representing an extension for the role of the holy religious authorities that looked after and blessed all issues of the Islamic nation, disseminating the culture of coexistence and love among all components, explaining that Iraq has suffered so much due to its domestic woes and that it is time Iraq restored its leading role, pointing out that Egypt is in the vanguard of the countries it can deal with.
On his part, the head of state Qandeel thanked Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim for receiving him well and for being such a great host, reminding everyone of the existence of the Egyptian labor force in Iraq and the good memories it has about Iraq, explaining that Iraq and Egypt and both of their nations are the oldest civilizations in the world and are linked by language, religion and good relations that will et the peoples in both countries to what they deserve. He stressed that what is taking place nowadays in Egypt and the region is a hard labor for something great, and that what Egypt is now going through is something which is unprecedented, thanking Iraq, government and people, for what they have offered Egypt and its people. He explained that the development of the economic relations helps sustain the relations between both countries, stressing that developing the relations with Iraq is not directed anyone. Rather, Egypt is developing its relations with others in a way that insures everyone’s interests, explaining that the cooperation between Iraq and Egypt offers clout to the Arab work and serves the interest of the Arab countries.
It is worth mentioning that the meeting was attended by many political personalities in Iraq on the head of whom is His Excellency former Vice President Dr. Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Mr. Baqir Jabr, head of the Citizen Bloc in the parliament, Dr. Ahmed al-Chalabi and a number of government and parliament personalities.