BAGHDAD, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi President Barham Salih on Sunday reaffirmed his country's policy to ease tensions in the Middle East region and focus on the dialogue to solve the regional crises.
Salih's comments came during his separate meetings with U.S. charge d'affaires, Iranian ambassador, and ambassadors of Britain, Germany and France in the presidential palace in Baghdad, Salih's media office said in separate statements.
During the day, Salih met the charge d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Joey Hood and the two "discussed latest political developments at the regional and international levels," a statement said.
Salih stressed Iraq's keenness to pursue a "constructive dialogue" to deal with crises in the region, the statement added.
Salih also met with the ambassadors of Britain, France and Germany in his office, during which he asserted the "need to establish a stable regional system that distances Iraq and the peoples of the region from the specter of conflicts," Salih's office said in another statement.
During his meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Iraj Masjedi, Salih said that "the historical responsibility ... requires us to exert efforts to ease tensions and prevent any escalation that threatens the stability of our peoples," his office said in a statement.
Salih's meetings came amid the tense situation in the region after U.S. President Donald Trump decided not to re-issue the sanctions waivers for major importers to continue buying Iran's oil when they expired in early May.
The United States has also increased its military activities in the region recently, citing a threat of Iranian "attack."
