Iraq president to visit Iran

Don't know if this has been posted elsewhere -

Agence France Presse

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is to fly to Iran this weekend for talks with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, aides said, as bombers and death squads claimed another 78 lives across Iraq.

An MP for the main Shiite bloc which leads the government confirmed that Talabani was scheduled to travel to Iran on Saturday.

Is this a big deal? I imagine some parties will be interested in the contents of the discussions if, indeed, the story is correct.

Sharif added that there was a possibility that President Bashar al-Assad of Iran's regional ally Syria might join the Tehran talks, following a landmark visit to Baghdad this week by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem.

But Talabani's spokesman Hiwa Othman denied that such a summit was in the pipeline.

This would surely ruffle a few feathers, wouldn't it? Again, only if were to be true!

... other government officials said that the restoration of diplomatic relations between Iraq and Syria, broken off more than a quarter of a century ago, was in the offing and that an announcement might be made before Muallem wraps up his visit Tuesday.

Some might say this is progress.

I didn't realise Mr. Talibani is Kurdish.