Trump to meet Iraqi President Saleh at Davos

Washington: US President Donald Trump will meet his Iraqi counterpart and the head of the European Union executive body during his visit to Davos in Switzerland this week, the White House said Monday.

The meeting with President Barham Saleh will be the first between Trump and Iraqi officials since tensions erupted over the US killing of a top Iranian general and a senior pro-Iranian Iraqi commander in Baghdad.

After calls in Iraq for the expulsion of thousands of US troops stationed there, Trump responded by threatening sanctions aimed at wrecking the country’s economy.

Trump, who arrives in Davos for the annual World Economic Forum get-together on Tuesday and leaves Wednesday, will also meet with European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen, the White House said.

Their talks will come just after France and the United States agreed to extend negotiations on avoiding what could be a punishing trans-Atlantic trade war.

Trump is also due to meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Simonetta Sommaruga, the president of the Swiss Confederation, and Kurdish leader Nechirvan Barzani.

The meetings will take place on the sidelines of the Davos conference, which this year is focusing heavily on climate emergency and social inequality.