BAGHDAD, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday renewed his country's support for a strong and stable Iraq in a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Hadier al-Abadi.
The two discussed the enhancement of bilateral cooperation in economy, service industry, security, stability, sovereignty and Iraq's territorial integrity, said a statement by the prime minister's office.
"The U.S. secretary of state renewed his country's support for a strong, stable and prosperous Iraq in accordance with the Strategic Framework Agreement which was signed (in 2008) by the two countries," the statement added.
Pompeo's phone call came as the Iraqi political blocs are in negotiations to form the largest alliance before the first session of the new parliament.
The negotiations have intensified since the Federal Supreme Court ratified the final results of May 12 parliamentary elections on Aug. 19, marking the first step toward forming the new Iraqi government.
According to the Iraqi constitution, the outgoing President Masoum called on the new parliament to hold its first session on Monday under the chairmanship of the eldest parliament member, to elect a president of parliament and then the president of the country, who will ask the largest alliance to form a government within 30 days.
On May 12, millions of Iraqis went to 8,959 polling centers across the country to vote for their parliamentary representatives in the first general election since Iraq's historic victory over the Islamic State militant group in December 2017.
