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| Iraq |
| Ahmadinejad to make landmark visit to Iraq |
| 2008-01-24 |
| President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has accepted an invitation to visit Baghdad, Iraq's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, a landmark trip that would make him the first leader of Iran to visit its former foe. Iran and Iraq fought an eight-year war in the 1980s in which hundreds of thousands were killed, but relations have improved since Saddam Hussein was ousted in the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and a Shi'ite Islamist-led government came to power. "President Ahmadinejad has accepted an invitation from President (Jalal) Talabani to come to Iraq," Iraqi deputy Foreign Minister Labeed Abawi told Reuters. An aide to Ahmadinejad, who asked not to be identified, said: "We have heard about it but no date has been scheduled." Both Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki have visited Shi'ite Iran, which some Middle East analysts say exerts greater influence in Iraq than the United States. The main Shi'ite political blocs in Iraq's government have enjoyed close ties with Iran in the past and were based there during Saddam's rule. There has been tension over the U.S. military's continued detention of several Iranians. U.S. forces say the Iranians pose a danger to Iraq's security, but Tehran says they are diplomats or other innocents illegally held by the Americans. U.S. and Iranian officials were to have held a fourth round of talks in Baghdad in mid-December on curbing violence in Iraq but the meeting was put off. No new date has been set, U.S. embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said. The U.S. military said at the weekend there had been a sharp drop in the number of Iranian weapons being used in Iraq but no let-up in Tehran's training and financing of Iraq militias. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 It'd be too damn bad if his motorcade happened upon an IED. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2008-01-24 11:57 |
| #2 I dare Dinner Jacket to visit the soonies in Anbar. Hold out a fig leaf for peace and see what happens. |
| Posted by: www 2008-01-24 01:46 |
| #1 The U.S. military said at the weekend there had been a sharp drop in the number of Iranian weapons being used in Iraq but no let-up in Tehran's training and financing of Iraq militias. And as such cannot quite guarantee Nutjob's safety. But he should be OK. Probably. |
| Posted by: gorb 2008-01-24 01:39 |