Baghdad, The Ministry of Trade announced the holding of meetings of the third session of the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement between Iraq and the United States of America in Washington, D.C., after a break of more than nine years. It was chaired on the Iraqi side by Economic Undersecretary Ghassan Farhan Hamid, and on the American side by the Commercial Representation Office. The Economic Undersecretary confirmed, according to the Ministry's statement, that the meeting discussed many topics, the most important of which were the agricultural sector, standardization and quality control, the financial system, customs, company registration, intellectual property rights, Iraq's accession to the World Trade Organization, the health sector, and government contracts. He added, during the meetings, it was confirmed that the Iraqi government is open to all parties and that economic reform and diversification of the economy are considered among the priorities that are being worked on, and that Iraq is ready t o discuss any proposal that leads to strengthening relations between the two countries. For its part, the American side expressed its great interest in the issues raised and its appreciation for the reform measures undertaken by the Iraqi government. Source: National Iraqi News Agency