Iraq, Iran start talks on disputed border area

Iraq’s Hoshiyar Zebari met Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki in a move to cool tensions between the neighbors after a small contingent of Iranian troops moved into an oilfield inside Iraqi territory last month and Iraq vowed it would not give up an inch of its land.

Their comments at a news conference after the meeting made clear the essence of the dispute had not been resolved. Mottaki said Iranian troops had been told to withdraw “to their original locations,” but Zebari indicated they had not moved far enough.
“The Iranian troops brought down the Iranian flag and withdrew (only) to a certain distance,” Zebari said.

Zebari said the two sides had agreed to “normalize border conditions and put back things as they were.”

“We had a problem (over borders), and still the problem is pending and we want to resolve it,” Zebari said.

Asked if the United Nations could be asked to mediate the dispute, Zebari said: “There will be no need … because we have bilateral solutions, to resort to the United Nations.”

Reuters