Nouri Al-Maliki told reporters after meeting with Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak that he invited Egyptian companies to work in Iraq and mentioned several possible joint endeavors.
Al-Maliki’s trip to the Sunni Arab heavyweight and his remarks reflect his attempts to gain regional support for his bid to stay in power by offering lucrative business opportunities in Iraq.
Since Iraq’s inconclusive parliamentary elections on March 7, Al-Maliki’s mostly Shiite political alliance has been seeking enough allies to give it the right to control the 325-seat parliament and pick Iraq’s new leaders.
Egypt and other Sunni states have supported Al-Maliki’s rival, a Sunni-backed group headed by secular Shiite Ayad Allawi.
Both Al-Maliki and Allawi have spent time making their cases to regional powers. Al-Maliki’s current tour also took him to Syria, Jordan and Iran.
Al-Maliki said after his talks with Mubarak that the two discussed the future of Iraq’s government but gave no details. He also emphasized the role he hopes other Mideast countries will play in Iraq if he keeps his post.
“Our motto for the coming period is reconstruction and security,” he said. “In order to achieve this, we need to cement our ties and sign agreements with brotherly and friendly countries.” Al-Maliki said he had invited Egyptian companies to do housing, hospital, oil and electricity projects in Iraq. He also proposed a joint Iraqi-Egyptian free trade zone and new pipeline that would allow Iraqi gas exports through Egypt.
The proposals appear designed to win Arab governments to Al-Maliki’s side in his competition with Allawi.
The Iraqi rivals are increasingly turning to regional powers for support in efforts to resolve the country’s seven month gridlock, although they publicly say they don’t want neighbors to get involved in Iraq’s internal disputes.
Arab Sunni nations such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia are deeply suspicious of Iraqi Shiites, accusing them of sidelining Iraq’s Sunni minority and acting as a proxy for extending Iran’s power in the Middle East.
Egyptian officials did not comment on Al-Maliki’s remarks, but Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said before the visit that efforts to form a new government are an internal Iraqi issue.
Al-Maliki also met with Arab League head Amr Moussa.
