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LoungeMachine
03-02-2008, 03:30 PM
Ahmadinejad in Iraq for First Iranian Visit Since '79 (Update1)

By Ladane Nasseri and Tarek Al-Issawi

March 2 (Bloomberg) -- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met his Iraqi counterpart Jalal Talabani in Baghdad today in the first visit by an Iranian leader since at least the Islamic revolution in 1979.

The two-day trip is intended to boost relations between the former foes at a time when the U.S. says Iran is seeking to destabilize Iraq.

``We consider this visit a historic one,'' Iraqi President Talabani said at a joint press conference with Ahmadinejad, according to the Web site of Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

Iraq and Iran, both with majority Shia Muslim populations, fought a devastating eight-year war that ended in 1988 and killed and injured more than 1 million people on both sides. The two nations have increased political and economic ties since the fall of Saddam Hussein's Sunni Muslim-dominated regime after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

``Visiting Iraq free of the dictator is a happy occasion,'' Ahmadinejad said, according to the PUK Web site.

Ahmadinejad is ``seeking to enter the sphere of American interests and challenge the U.S,'' said Mashaallah Shamsolvaezin, an adviser to the Tehran-based Center for Scientific Research and Middle East Strategic Studies.

He wants to show the U.S. that ``Iraq is part of Iran's essential circle of interests and that the U.S. needs to pay attention to Iran's interests too,'' Shamsolvaezin said.

`Brotherly' Atmosphere

Ahmadinejad and Talabani held private 45-minutes talks that focused on economic, energy, political and social issues.

``We had good negotiations in a friendly, brotherly and very constructive atmosphere,'' Ahmadinejad said in comments broadcast live on state-run Iranian television. ``We have common opinions on all fields.''

The two parties have ``decided to expand collaboration in economic and political fields as much as possible,'' he said.

U.S. President George W. Bush yesterday Iran must stop exporting weapons used to kill American troops in Iraq.

``The message needs to be `quit sending in sophisticated equipment that's killing our citizens,''' Bush said in a press conference at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. ``My message to him is to stop exporting terror.''

Ahmadinejad said three rounds of talks his country held with the U.S. so far had contributed to stabilizing security in Iraq, the Associated Press reported yesterday, citing IRNA.

Nuclear Sanctions

Iran rejects U.S. claims it is fueling violence in Iraq and has repeatedly called on the Bush administration to withdraw its forces from Iraq.

The U.S., Britain and France plan to seek a vote on March 3 in the United Nations Security Council on a draft resolution that would impose a third round of sanctions on Iran over its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons. The international community is ``serious about continuing to isolate Iran until they come clean about their nuclear weapons ambitions,'' Bush said yesterday.

Iran says it's using nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

To contact the reporters on this story: Ladane Nasseri in Tehran at lnasseri@bloomberg.net . Tarek Al-Issawi in Dubai at talissawi@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: March 2, 2008 14:20 EST

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=aSxQQlZMcBVA&refer=africa

hideyoursheep
03-02-2008, 05:33 PM
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