Egypt, Iraq in military talks

Egypt’s military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi on Wednesday held talks with Iraqi Defense Minister Saadun al-Dulaimi on ways of boosting military ties between the two nations, officials said.

Talks centered on “training Iraqi officers and exchanging military expertise,” as well as regional and international efforts to support stability in Iraq, one source said.

The meeting was attended by armed forces chief of staff Lieutenant General Sami Annan and several members of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces which took over after president Hosni Mubarak’s ouster last year.

More than 200 people have been killed in Iraq since U.S. forces completed their withdrawal last month from the country.

Since then the country has been in the throes of a festering dispute between the Shiite-led government and ministers from the Sunni-backed Iraqi bloc with analysts warning violence could rise if the row is not contained.