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Iraqi President decides to postpones Iran visit

Iran Materials 25 November 2006 14:09 (UTC +04:00)

(IranMania) - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said that he decided to postpone his planned visit to Iran due to airport close under curfew in Baghdad, Xinhua reported.

Talabani revealed the decision to reporters after a meeting of the Political Council for National Security, which includes some top lawmakers, to resolve the ongoing crisis in the war-torn country, reports Trend.

The president told the reporters that he has postponed the scheduled trip to Tehran until Baghdad's airport is reopened.

"The airport will be closed tomorrow but if it opens after tomorrow we will go," said Talabani, adding the Tehran tour is still on ... As soon as the airport opens we will leave to Tehran. "

Four car bombs in short succession on Thursday afternoon struck the 55th Square, al-Sadrain Square, the popular Hai market and Mudhafar Square in Sadr City, a Shiite militia stronghold in eastern Baghdad, killing more than 200 people and wounding some 250 others.

The Iraqi government imposed a curfew and closed the airport until further notice Thursday night after the deadly bombings.

Earlier on Tuesday, Talabani's spokesman Kameran Qaradaghi said in a statement that the Iraqi president would visit Iran at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to discuss issues of mutual interests and means to promote relations, in addition to the Iraqi security issue.

Media reports had said that Syrian President Bashar Assad was supposed to join Talabani and Ahmadinejad this weekend in Tehran, but Iraq denied the summit.

Qaradaghi said that the reports of a tripartite summit are " completely false". He, however, confirmed that Talabani had received invitation to visit Damascus and to meet Assad as the two nations try to enhance relations.

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