US President Obama meets Iraqi Kurdish leaders in Baghdad

Obama held separate talks with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, himself a Kurd, and Massoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdish regional administration in northern Iraq, Peyamner News Agency said on Wednesday.

Obama and Barzani discussed the strengthening of the relations between the U.S. and the Kurdish regional administration, it said. The prime minister of the Kurdish administration, Nechirvan Barzani, also attended the meeting, the agency added.

The U.S. president returned to Washington in the early hours of Wednesday after an eight-day European tour that included Turkey and a brief surprise visit to Iraq.

Photo: Reuters