Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo pledged on Friday the National People's Congress (NPC) will promote friendly exchanges and cooperation with the Iraqi parliament to advance bilateral relations.

"The NPC is ready to conduct friendly exchanges and cooperation with the newly-established Iraqi parliament, to enhance mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples, promote bilateral cooperation in various fields and strengthen the over-all development of bilateral ties," said Wu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee.

Wu made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. He said the two countries had "traditional friendship".

"The two countries politically respect each other and support each other on issues concerning the core interests of each other," said Wu, adding bilateral trade and economic cooperation have gradually resumed and developed.

Talabani said the Iraqi government, parliament, political parties and people from all circles are in favor of developing friendly relations with China.

He said Iraq is ready to learn from China's experience of development and strengthen cooperation with China in various fields, and he hoped Iraq-China relations would become a model of friendly cooperation between countries.

In his meeting with Premier Wen Jiabao, Talabani said he was touched by the friendly feelings the Chinese people have shown to the Iraqi people and impressed with the Chinese government's sincerity in developing ties with Iraq. He said Iraq appreciated China's support to Iraq on economic reconstruction.

"China would like to write off Iraqi debts, offer Iraq assistance within its ability and help train Iraqi personnel to upgrade the country's educational and medical capacities," Wen told Talabani.

Wen said the Chinese government would like to work with Iraq to seek stronger cooperation in various sectors and on the basis of mutual trust and equality.

Talabani is on a weeklong state visit to China at the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao. This is the first visit by an Iraqi president to China since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1958.

Besides Beijing, the Iraqi president will visit northwest China's ancient city of Xi'an and Nanjing, capital of eastern Jiangsu Province.

In April 2005, Talabani was elected president of Iraq, becoming the first Kurdish president in Iraqi history.

(Xinhua News Agency June 23, 2007)