Khatami hails new era in relations with Iraq

Following talks with the first Iraqi head of government to visit Iran since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Khatami said that Iran was prepared to do anything it could to help its one-time foe, with whom it fought a devastating eight year war.

"The visit of the Iraqi prime minister to Iran is a turning point in the historic relations between the two countries. It will allow us to plaster the wounds and repair the damage caused by Saddam Hussein through joint cooperation," said Khatami, quoted by the official IRNA agency.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will do everything it can to assure the reconstruction, security and stability of Iraq," said Khatami. "The strategy of Iran is to support a free Iraq, independent and developed."