国际英语新闻:Iraqi president says Baghdad, Washington to play key role in stabilizing Mideast

BAGHDAD, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi President Barham Salih on Tuesday confirmed Iraq and the United States should play a major role in stabilizing the Middle East region and achieving peace and prosperity.

Salih's comments were made during his meeting with the visiting U.S. Senate delegation, a statement by the presidency's media office said.

Salih "emphasized the importance of developing bilateral relations and enhancing cooperation at various levels to serve the interests of the two friendly peoples," the statement said.

He also called on the U.S. businessmen and companies to invest and redevelop the Iraqi liberated cities which were destroyed during the fight against the extremist Islamic State (IS) militants.

For their part, members of the visiting delegation reaffirmed the U.S. support to Iraq in order to recover and restore its strategic regional and global role, according to the statement.

Over 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against the Islamic State (IS) militants, mainly by providing training and advising services.

The troops were part of the U.S.-led international coalition that has also been conducting air raids against IS targets in both Iraq and Syria.