Unprecedented Iran-Iraq talks

President Khatami has made calls for reconciliation

There has been a rare high-level meeting between Iran and Iraq, whose relations are still under strain more than 10 years after they fought a long border war.

Iranian President Mohammad Khatami held talks with the Iraqi Vice- President Taha Yassin Ramadan, at the Opec summit in Caracas.

An Iranian spokesman is reported by the Reuters news agency as saying they made "good progress".

Diplomatic sources say the meeting, held at the Caracas Hilton, was at the request of Iraq.

Thawing relations

An estimated one million people were killed during the eight-year conflict which ended in 1988.

The Baghdad Arch commemorates Iraq's war dead.

Diplomatic relations between the two were upgraded to charge d'affaires status in 1990, but correspondents say attempts to normalise their relations have run aground over the issues of prisoners-of-war and armed opposition groups sheltered by both countries

Speaking to reporters after the hour-long meeting, the Iraqi vice-president said: "It was cordial and frank. We discussed co-operation between the two countries and agreed to work jointly for the improvement of relations between the two countries."

A spokesman for president Khatami said all issues were discussed.

Opec boost

"We discussed all bilateral issues. We clarified all ambiguous points, and because we clarified them we have faith in a good future for everybody."

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the restorations of normal relations between the two countries would strengthen the group of oil producing countries.

"I am at their service to help... the full reactivation of relations between two fraternal people, two fraternal countries, which are also members of Opec, and which are calling for a boost of reunification of the whole Arab-Islamic world," he said.