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Ahmadinejad hopes to enhance people-to-people contacts with Iraq

DUBAI: Visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is hoping to cement trade and energy ties with Iraq, as well as shore up people-to-people contacts.

Mr. Ahmadinejad said upon his arrival at Baghdad on Sunday that his visit — the first by an Iranian President since the 1979 revolution — had turned a “new page” in the history of Iran-Iraq relations.

Iran already enjoys special ties with Iraq as both countries have a majority Shia population. Several Iraqi leaders, including Mr. Ahmadinejad’s host and counterpart, Jalal Talabani, as well as Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki had taken refuge in Iran, during the rule of the former President, Saddam Hussein.

Mr. Ahmadinejad hopes to add greater substance to ties, especially by integrating parts of the Iranian and Iraqi energy infrastructure.

Iran is hoping to establish next week, a power link between Abadan, on its side of the border, and Basra on the Iraqi side.

Iran has offered to develop Iraqi oil fields. The oil fields shared by the two countries include Naftshahr, Paidar-e Gharb, Azar and Azadegan.

Iran and Iraq already enjoy a vigorous trade relationship, which, according to Iranian figures, amounts to around $ 2 billions.

According to Iran’s Fars News Agency, around 5,00,000 Shia pilgrims from Iran visit Iraq each year, mainly to the southern cities of Karbala and Najaf.

The Iranian side is keen that around three million pilgrims are allowed to visit Iraq annually.

Commenting on Mr. Ahmadinejad’s visit, U.S. President George Bush accused Iran of sending equipment to Iraq which was “killing” U.S. citizens.

In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini countered these observations by saying Mr. Bush’s remarks amounted to “an intervention in the friendly, brotherly and sincere relations between Iran and Iraq.”

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