After murdering Saddam and overthrowing his regime, USA has established a Shite regime in Iraq by keeping puppets in power. It would take years for them to come to term with the reality and improve relations in real sense between them. Obviously encouraged indirectly by the occupying USA, Iran and Iraq have already begun talks on trade, energy cooperation and a long-running border row, though the two neighbours have yet to sign a peace treaty.

Ahmadinejad is the first Iranian president to visit Iraq. The Iranian leader went from Baghdad's airport to a meeting with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Sunni Kurd speaking fluent Farsi, who gave him a red-carpet welcome. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani welcomed Ahmadinejad with a guard of honor, as a military band played the national anthems of both nations.

Talabani, who grinned broadly and eagerly shook Ahmadinejad's hand, called the visit "historic." Talabani's headquarters are located right across the Tigris River from the mammoth new U.S. Embassy in the fortified Green Zone, an area that has been repeatedly hit by mortar attacks, with the U.S. blaming Shiite militants.

Apart from Iraqi President Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki-- both of whom have visited Iran since taking office --Ahmadinejad also met with and Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh. After meeting with Ahmadinejad, al-Maliki said the visit was "an expression of the strong desire of enhancing relations and developing mutual interests after the past tension during the dictatorship era." Talabani called Ahmadinejad's visit "historic.

Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal, New Delhi