Iran's president leaves Tehran for Baghdad for talks

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad left for Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Thursday for talks on subject of mutual interest, semi-official ISNA news agency reported. During his two-day visit, Ahmadinejad will meet with high- ranking Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Vice President Khodair al-Khozaei and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. The two sides will discuss the ways for further enhancement of cooperation during Ahmadinejad's stay in Iraq. Iran and Iraq were involved in a war which broke out in September 1980 and lasted for eight years. The fall of Iraq's former president Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003 led to the normalization of relations between the two countries. As of January 2010, the two countries had signed over 100 economic and cooperation agreements.