Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is striving to develop good ties with the Muslim Brotherhood-controlled government of Egypt. But his efforts have encountered serious difficulties, given the political and ideological differences between the ruling parties in Baghdad and Cairo.
Egyptian Prime Minister Hesham Kandil has finally agreed to visit Baghdad at the official invitation of his Iraqi counterpart. Maliki said that the two countries had agreed on supplying Egypt with Iraqi crude oil for refining.