Meanwhile, world leaders are continuing to meet in Egypt at a summit over the future of Iraq. On Thursday Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with the Syrian foreign minister. Rice urged Syria to help stop foreign fighters from entering Iraq. At the summit, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki urged foreign investment in Iraq.

Nouri Al-Maliki: “Not all of Iraq lives under the threat of terrorism, as you have seen. Many Iraqi districts are safe and good for investment, so that’s why we made requests to those countries who can invest, and they expressed their willingness to come to Iraq. And with this compact, the countries who signed it will take this fact into consideration so that companies and investors can come to different parts of Iraq.”