By IRNA
Tehran : President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his upcoming visit to Iraq is not against any third country rather it can benefit all.
Speaking in an interview with Iranian television, the president said, “If there is peace and brotherhood but not occupation in Iraq, and all respect the territorial integrity of that country, then, this (my trip) will benefit everybody.”
President Ahmadinejad will start an official visit to Iraq on Sunday.
On the importance of his visit to Iraq, the president said, “The two nations of Iran and Iraq are closely intertwined. Our cultures, civilizations, histories and beliefs are very close to each other and with the exception of a short period when a dictator named Saddam, with a special mission, created a distance between the two countries, the two nations have always been together.”
“Iraq is an independent country in which there is an independent government and we should help them. This government has invited me and I should go there.”
“My visit will strengthen the Iraqi nation and its government and will help the bilateral brotherly relations and regional peace and security,” the president said.