Qatar's economy minister to visit Iraq in June

Qatar's minister of economy and trade Sheikh Hamad Bin Faisal al- Thani will visit Baghdad by the beginning of June on top of a large delegation including high ranking officials and businessmen in the ministry.

According to diplomatic sources this visit is greatly welcomed by Iraq in its being the first since the second Gulf war (the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait), besides this visit is a manifestation of the developed political relations between Doha and Baghdad.

The sources said the two sides will discuss during this visit several issues aiming at deepening trade and economic cooperation and the possibility of signing a free trade agreement between the two sides as well as several other agreements currently under study.

The two sides will also discuss the expansion of commercial exchange in light of the UN "oil for food" program. The Iraqis are looking for increasing Qatar's share in this regard.

During the two past years, the Iraqi minister of commerce Muhammad Mahdi Saleh visited Doha for the same purpose.