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Iran ready to discuss Iraq with U.S. after Feb. 11

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Iran is ready for a new round of negotiations with the United States on security in Iraq after February 11, the republic's foreign minister said on Friday.
TEHRAN, February 8 (RIA Novosti) - Iran is ready for a new round of negotiations with the United States on security in Iraq after February 11, the republic's foreign minister said on Friday.

February 11 sees the 29th anniversary of the Iranian Islamic Revolution.

"We did express our readiness for entering into negotiations with the U.S. when talks were held by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany over Iran's nuclear program," Manouchehr Mottaki said in an interview with Iranian television Channel 2.

He said that restoring relations with the U.S. was not an issue for the time being, but that Iran was willing to negotiate with it on the issue of Iraq after February 11.

He had previously said that Iran's president would travel to Iraq by March 20 for the first official visit by an Iranian leader in almost 30 years.

Relations between Baghdad and Tehran, which were involved in a bloody war in 1980-1988, have improved since Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003.

The United States has accused Iran of supporting Shiite insurgents in Iraq, allegations denied by Iran. Tehran blames instability in Iraq on the presence of U.S.-led forces.

In mid-January, Tehran said it had sent its proposals on Iraq talks to the U.S., including plans to fight terrorist groups in Iraq and give Iraqi officials the authority to provide domestic security.

In the summer of 2007, Tehran and Washington held three rounds of negotiations on Iraqi security and agreed to set up a tripartite committee on reinforcing the country's security and defense capacity.

Following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent execution of Saddam Hussein, Iraq quickly sank into a bloody spiral of sectarian violence from which it has yet to fully emerge.

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