Talabani Wants More Border Talks with Iran

TEHRAN (FNA) Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said Saturday his country wants further negotiations with Iran regarding border demarcation issues.

Appearing as part of a news conference with Kurdistan Regional Government President Masoud Barzani, Talabani said the two Middle Eastern nations must discuss the details outlined in the 1975 Algiers accord.

Currently, both countries are discussing issues related to border demarcation that were not outlined in the historical accord, which focuses on travel at a regional waterway.

The Algiers Accord set the border between the two countries in the middle of the waterway that empties into the Persian Gulf, known as Arvand Rood in Iran and Shatt-al-Arab in Iraq.

The accord, which targeted the point where the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers meet, was annulled in 1980 by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

Saddam Hussein tore up a copy of the treaty in a televised broadcast five days before his troops invaded Iran in September 1980, starting a bloody eight-year war that ended in a UN-brokered cease-fire in 1988. The two countries have yet to sign a formal peace treaty.

An Iraqi delegation is currently in Iran attempting to discuss the controversial issues with top Iranian officials.

Talabani said Saturday that US officials are not playing a role in those talks despite recent reports to the contrary.