Iranians to Train Iraq's Military.

Former enemies Iran and Iraq say they will launch broad military co-operation including training Iraqi armed forces.
"It's a new chapter in our relations with Iraq," said Iranian Defence Minister Admiral Ali Shamkhani.

He was speaking at a joint news conference in Tehran with his Iraqi counterpart Saadoun al-Dulaimi.

Relations between the neighbours - who fought a bitter war from 1980 to 1988 - have improved greatly since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

This is the first visit to Iran by an Iraqi military delegation since the war, in which a million people died, started.

"We have come to our Iranian brothers to ask them for help
Saadoun al-Dulaimi"

The promise of co-operation comes despite repeated accusations by the US - which has about 140,000 troops in Iraq - that Iran has been undermining security there.

"No one can prevent us from reaching an agreement," Mr Shamkhani said when asked about possible US opposition.

news.bbc.co.uk...]Article

What
Is Iran just asking for more trouble (sucker punch), or is Iraq really that desperate?

I can't believe this could happen in the future because of the ramifactions politically in the 'west'.

Sanc'.

[edit on 7-7-2005 by sanctum]

The link cannot be found.

news.bbc.co.uk...

Try that link instead.

Link

This link should work.

Sanc'.

Iran last year offered to train Iraqi border guards, but Baghdad declined the offer.

english.aljazeera.net

I'm yet to see what the coalition makes of this, given todays tragic events in London.

Sanc'.

I think that this could go a long way towards calming things. I don't see Iraq just forgetting about the US in the future, and this will HOPEFULLY force the US to sit down with Iran and talk. I don't agree with just about anything Iran has done since the fall of the Shah, but I also think that we can't afford to rush headlong into a war with them. Maybe we can sit down and actually talk and work things out through diplomacy. That would be nice. But the important thing is that they won't be fighting anymore.

I would like to add that most are unaware of relationships in the ME.

Iran has also, for some time now, been building a strong relationship with Afganistan. The completion of a large highway linking the two countries for trade happend a few months ago.

I still see Iran as a threat to no-one, I don't buy the propaganda, none of you should either.

I don't see IRAN as a threat, but I see some of the groups they support as a threat. But maybe we can work out a diplomatic solution instead of another invasion that Rumsfeld and others will totally screw up, and we don't have the troops to support.

And maybe this will let some of our men and women in uniform to come home earlier than planned.

as posted by sanctum
Is Iran just asking for more trouble (sucker punch), or is Iraq really that desperate?

Neither, sanctum.
You have two nations sharing a common border. As such, they are simply genuinely doing what the previous Saddam regime would not do.
Its a mutual deal that will or can but only benefit both countries.

I can't believe this could happen in the future because of the ramifactions politically in the 'west'.

I am not seeing a "political ramifications" as you obviously are insinuating.
From a possible Western perspective, this could be a way to bring Iran into the "fold," so to speak.
From an Iranian perspective, this could be viewed as a way to further manipulate.

Just think, the Iranian secret intelligence services can now add: "We now help train those that we have targeted to kill" in their new subversive bumper stickers.





seekerof