Iran Hosts Iraqi Official, Eyes Better Relations

Sun Aug 29, 2004 09:32 AM ET

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iraqi deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih said Sunday he brought a message of friendship to Iran, which has been angered by charges it is stirring up tension in Iraq, the official IRNA news agency said.

Shi'ite Muslim Iran has cautiously welcomed Iraq's interim government as a step toward full democracy and sovereignty. But Tehran has been irked by accusations it was involved in the recent Shi'ite uprising centered on Najaf.

"I am carrying a message of friendship from the Iraqi government and nation for the Iranian government and nation," IRNA quoted Salih as saying during a meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi.

Salih's visit is aimed at paving the way for Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi to travel to Iran.

Iran, which fought a bloody 1980-1988 war with Iraq, has also been angered by the kidnapping earlier this month of one of its diplomats in Iraq.

"We are neighbors and have a lot of issues to talk about. The case of the kidnapped Iranian consul is one of the main issues," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told a weekly news conference Sunday.

Asefi said no specific date had yet been set for Allawi's Iran visit.

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