Iran sends goodwill gesture to Iraq

The Iranian president has sent a message of goodwill to his Iraqi counterpart at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan - the first such gesture between the two countries for seventeen years.

President Mohammad Khatami wished President Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi people peace, happiness and prosperity.

Iran and Iraq have not exchanged messages of congratulations since the eight-year war between the two countries broke out in nineteen-eighty.

In a separate statement, the Iranian Foreign Minster, Kamal Kharazzi, ruled out any immediate improvement in relations with Egypt.

He said he was disappointed by recent comments by Egypt.

President Mubarak, said on Tuesday that he wanted to be sure of Iran's intentions before relations could be restored.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service