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Letter to the editor

Iran's president visits Baghdad, warns Bush

By Times Wires
Published March 3, 2008

IRAQ

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Baghdad on Sunday to open what he declared a "new chapter" in relations between Iraq and Iran, and he warned President Bush that America's problems in the Mideast would worsen as long as he continued to accuse Iran of interfering in Iraq. The visit, the first by an Iranian leader since the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, made plain the determination of Iraqi leaders to move closer to Iran despite U.S. accusations that it supports militias in Iraq. Many of Iraq's Shiite leaders have ties to Iran. Ahmadinejad plans to stay for two days and strike deals on energy and other projects. Some Sunni Arabs protested the visit.

PAKISTAN

Suicide bomber kills 40 at meeting

A bomber blew himself up Sunday among thousands of tribal members discussing resistance to al-Qaida and the Taliban, killing 40 people in the third suicide attack in as many days in northwestern Pakistan. Five tribes were meeting to finalize a resolution that would punish anyone who shelters or helps Islamic militants, including al-Qaida and Taliban fighters, Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said. The suicide bombings show President Pervez Musharraf's weakening control of the region despite the deployment of thousands of troops.

Elsewhere

Armenia: Hundreds of troops flooded the capital of Yerevan on Sunday to enforce a state of emergency after clashes between activists protesting presidential election results and government forces left eight people dead.

[Last modified March 3, 2008, 01:00:04]