Iran, Iraq hold top-level talks

The Iranian President, Mohammed Khatami, has met a senior Iraqi leader, Izzat Ibrahim, on the sidelines of the Islamic summit in Qatar.

Few details have emerged of the talks, which were attended by the foreign ministers of both countries.

Mr Khatami said afterwards that Iran was willing to witness a new chapter in bilateral relations.

An Iranian official quoted him as saying patience was needed in normalising those relations, but that economic prosperity was possible if they settled their differences.

Relations between the two countries have warmed since Mr Khatami met the Iraqi Vice-President ,Taha Yassin Ramadan, during the recent Opec summit in Venezuela. The two countries last month decided to resurrect a 1975 border and security pact.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service