Iraq Hosts Summit of Top Regional States 

CAIRO - Top Middle Eastern and European leaders discussed prospects for economic, political and security cooperation between Iraq and its neighbors Saturday, as they gathered in Baghdad for a summit. 

The leaders of Egypt, Jordan and France met alongside the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey and the prime minister of Kuwait. The leaders applauded as Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Khadhimi described his hopes for strengthening regional cooperation to improve the lot of his people following years of turmoil. It was the first large gathering of top Arab leaders in Baghdad since a 2012 Arab summit. The presence at the summit of Iran's new foreign minister, Hussein Amir Abdollahian, provided a glimmer of optimism for a thaw in relations between Tehran and its top regional adversaries, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Speaking in Arabic, Abdollahian held out an olive branch to Arab states.