Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki met with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir who is in Baghdad to attend the twenty-third Arab summit that will be held later today. Talks during the meeting dealt with bilateral relations and means of bolstering and cementing them in addition to other issues of mutual concern. According to a statement of his office, Al-Maliki affirmed the need to strengthen bilateral relations between Iraq and the Sudan , on his part al-Bashir expressed his happiness to visit Iraq and participate in Baghdad\'s summit. Al-Bashir added that Baghdad\'s summit will be a new start for Iraq to strengthen its status within the Arab family.