President Obama dropped by a meeting today at the White House with Vice President Biden and Salim al-Jabouri, Speaker of Iraq’s Council of Representatives. President Obama and Vice President Biden commended Speaker al-Jabouri for his leadership in parliament and his efforts to bolster Iraq’s democracy, federalism, and national unity. They reaffirmed the enduring partnership between both countries and discussed ongoing U.S. and Iraqi efforts to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL, including the importance of mobilizing local tribal fighters in support of the Iraqi government’s Anbar liberation plan. President Obama and Vice President Biden reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to supporting Iraq in its fight against ISIL and the urgency of humanitarian assistance for Iraq’s internally-displaced citizens. Speaker al-Jabouri thanked the United States for its humanitarian contribution in response to the UN appeal for Iraq.
The Vice President also announced an additional $9 million in humanitarian assistance for Iraq, bringing the U.S. total in humanitarian assistance to $416 million since 2014. Both sides agreed on the importance of passing key legislation to strengthen national unity and to promote reconciliation for all Iraqi citizens.
Earlier this morning, the Vice President hosted Speaker al-Jabouri at the Naval Observatory for breakfast. The Vice President and Speaker al-Jabouri discussed the importance of passing key legislation to further strengthen Iraqi unity and to accelerate the mobilization, training, and integration of local tribal fighters against ISIL. Both leaders committed to ensuring the success of ongoing efforts to defeat ISIL and to bolstering a democratic, united, and federal Iraq to ensure prosperity for all Iraqi citizens