Saadun al-Dulaimi in Tehran, 06 July 2005. Al-Dulaimi arrived in Tehran at the head of Iraq’s first military delegation to visit the Islamic Republic since the toppling of Saddam Hussein (AFP)
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Former foes Iran and Iraq said on Thursday they would sign a military cooperation agreement which will include Iranian help in training Iraq”s armed forces.
The agreement marks a considerable advance in relations between the two countries who fought a bitter 1980-1988 war and comes despite repeated U.S. accusations that Iran has undermined security in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
"It”s a new chapter in our relations with Iraq. We will start wide defense cooperations," Iranian Defense Minister Admiral Ali Shamkhani told a joint news conference with visiting Iraqi counterpart Saadoun al-Dulaimi.
"We”re going to form some committees which will be involved in mine clearance, identifying those missing from the war and also … to help train, rebuild and modernise the Iraqi army."
Iran last year offered to train Iraqi border guards, but Iraq frostily declined the offer.
U.S. and Iraqi officials have often accused non-Arab Iran of stirring up instability in Iraq. Tehran denies meddling in Iraq or helping arms and foreign fighters cross its borders.
Asked about possible U.S. opposition to Iran-Iraq military cooperation, Shamkhani said: "No one can prevent us from reaching an agreement."
Iraq”s al-Dulaimi echoed Shamkhani”s comments.
"Nobody can dictate to Iraq its relations with other countries," he said.
Iranian Defence Minister Ali Shamkhani salutes during his meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Saadun al-Dulaimi in Tehran 06 July 2005 (AFP)
Iraqi Defence Minister Saadoun al-Dulaimi lays wreath at the graves of soldiers killed during the 8 years Iran-Iraq war at defense ministry complex in Tehran, July 6, 2005 (REUTERS)