Posted on 07/08/2005 8:49:17 AM PDT by SteamshipTime
Bold plans for greater military cooperation discussed between old foes
TEHRAN, Iran - Iraqs defense minister said Thursday that ousted leader Saddam Hussein was the aggressor in the 1980-88 war against Iran, as the two former enemies announced plans for closer cooperation between their militaries.
Iraqi Defense Minister Saadoun al-Duleimis visit to Iran marked a new effort to build ties between Iraq and mainly Shiite Muslim Iran after a Shiite-dominated government came to power in Baghdad this year.
Weve come here to open a new page in our relations against the painful page of the past, al-Duleimi told reporters at a press conference with his Iranian counterpart, Ali Shamkhani.
Shamkhani said Iran and Iraq would form joint committees to work out cooperation on cleaning minefields and modernizing Iraqs army.
No one can prevent this cooperation, Shamkhani insisted, without elaborating on the extent of the cooperation.
The United States Irans No. 1 enemy is helping build Iraqs military and security forces and would likely oppose any Iranian intervention.
But the warm talk reflected the sympathies toward Tehran from the new Baghdad government, where several parties long tied to Iran hold sway.
(continued at source)
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Well, there goes the Iranian campaign.
in short, this will cause the Iranians and the Iraqis to pay closer attention to their shared border and might decrease any militant travels through there...
just watch, there will be a similar agreement with Syria and Jordan as well...
Dang. Guess we're not invading Syria either.
I'd hate to see Iran trying to collect on an ill-advised mutual-defense pact with Iraq in a few years, should we decide to invade them...
I wouldnt take one agreement for the other....
but if we dont need to, we won't. Besides I think Assad in Syria and his regime are about to collapse within the next 4-5 years....
Ironically, America and Iran are occaisonal if awkward allies in this, at least in the short term, as both have a vested interest in eliminating Sunni fanaticism and consolidating democratic (i.e. Shiite) control -- the Zarqawis are anything but friends of Tehran. Of course the Iranians want the Shiites to look to Tehran, not Washington, but that's a relatively minor dispute compared to the current battle against the decapitating foreign terrorists.
As soon as the new Iranian Terrorist President is dead, they should begin their talks.
Looks like Iraq prefers not to wait.
There needs to be something done with the Iranian Hostage President. Plus he was know to back assasinations in Europe and Asia, so he has to be on our caca list I would think.
Beginnings of the Greater Islamic Republic?
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