Iraqi PM in landmark Iran visit

Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari has begun the first top-level
visit to Iran since the two neighbours waged an eight-year war in 
the 1980s.

More than 10 ministers are accompanying Mr Jaafari to open what
Iranian media have called a new chapter in ties.

They are expected to discuss security and the control of their 
long border.

A new friendship is blossoming between Tehran and Baghdad to the
consternation of the US, still bogged down in Iraq, says the BBC's
Frances Harrison.

After decades of no diplomatic relations, Iraq now has a prime
minister who has spent years in exile in Iran and heads a Shia-
dominated government sympathetic to its neighbour, says our Tehran
correspondent.

Iraqi officials have recently apologised for Saddam Hussein's invasion
of Iran.

Co-operation boost

The Iranian press says this is the biggest Iraqi delegation to visit
in 40 years.

"Everything is ready for bilateral co-operation with Iraq and we are
ready to sign a security agreement during the visit," said Iran's
Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi. 

The two sides are likely to focus on security issues like the
continued presence of the armed Iranian opposition group, the 
People's Mujahideen in Iraq.

"The presence of the Mujahideen Khalq organisation's members in Iraq
is against national interests of both countries and Iraqi officials
had promised to expel them before," Mr Yunesi said, according to the
Associated Press news agency.

But the delegations are also likely to discuss economic issues such 
as electricity, energy and water.

Iran's transport minister has said he expects a number of agreements
to be signed to link Iran's rail network to that of Iraq and Syria.

There are also plans to start Iranian flights to Baghdad and Najaf 
and an oil pipeline is in the offing to take crude from Basra to be
refined inside Iran.

Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, a booming trade in food and other
commodities has started from Iran to the predominantly Shia south of
Iraq, says our Tehran correspondent.

US woes

But the Americans are uneasy, she says.

They have warned Iran not to interfere in Iraq, saying Tehran should
not try to dominate certain institutions or areas of the country.

And although a million people died in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s,
even that most sensitive issue is now being addressed, says our
correspondent.

A week ago the Iraqi defence minister came to Tehran and asked 
for forgiveness for what Saddam Hussein had done to Iran - an
unprecedented apology. 

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Source: BBC - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4688619.stm

Cheers, Steve..

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