Biden meets al-Maliki for 1-on-1 2-hour meeting

US Vice President Joe Biden met here today Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki for a one-on-one meeting that lasted two hours, it was announced Thursday. The Office of the Vice President said in a statement that Biden and al-Maliki spoke about "the next steps in building a strong and enduring partnership between the United States and a unified, federal, and democratic Iraq." Iraq's premier "outlined his efforts to pursue a holistic strategy to combat threats to Iraqi security, building on the lessons our countries have learned fighting terrorist groups together." In this regard, al-Maliki "emphasized the importance of enlisting local leaders and the sons of Iraq to isolate terrorist networks." Biden and al-Maliki discussed "how additional U.S. cooperation might help Iraq advance this strategy," during which Biden "underscored America's commitment to Iraq's success in defeating Al-Qaeda and protecting its people." "The two leaders also discussed the importance of elections to consolidate Iraq's democracy, and the Vice President welcomed the Prime Minister's commitment to ensuring that parliamentary elections are held on time," the statement noted. According to the statement, Biden and al-Maliki will lead on Friday the U. S. and Iraqi delegations in a meeting of the Higher Coordinating Committee "to discuss the implementation of the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement."