By Xinhua
Baghdad : Iraqi President Jalal Talabani has extended an invitation of visit to his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, an Iraqi official said on Wednesday.
President Jalal Talabani had invited Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to pay a visit, Heiwa Othman, advisor of the Iraqi president, told Xinhua, adding that no date has been set.
If the visit could be achieved, it will be another landmark in the relationship between the two countries that fought a cruel eight-year war in 1980s.
Their tense relations became relaxed following the fall of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in 2003. Both Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki have visited Iran.
The U.S., which bills Iran as one of the “Axis of Evil”, has accused Tehran of aiding Shiite insurgents in Iraq. Iran denies the charge.
Nevertheless, the U.S. and Iran held three rounds of talks over the Iraqi security last year, which were hosted by Iraq. A fourth meeting, scheduled for last December, has been suspended.