BAGHDAD, March 3, 2008
Blast Kills 15 As Ahmadinejad Visits Iraq
Car Explodes In Central Baghdad; Iranian President Uses Historic Visit To Slam U.S.
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A victim of a car bombing in the Bab al-Mudham area of central Baghdad arrives to a hospital Monday, March 3, 2008. At least 15 people were killed and 38 were wounded in the bombing. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hold a press conference in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Sunday, March 2, 2008. Ahmadinejad is the first Iranian president to visit Iraq. (AP Photo/Ahmad al-Rubaye)
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A U.S. soldier of Charlie Company 1-15 Infantry, 3rd Brigade Combat team, 3rd Infantry Division, passes next to a wall painted with the Iraqi flag during a routine patrol in Salman Pak, about 30 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 1, 2008. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
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Pallbearers carry the casket of U.S. Army Spc. Chad Groepper, 21, whose funeral service was held at the Kingsley-Pierson, Iowa High School on Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2007. Groepper died during combat on Feb. 17, as a result of small-arms fire in the Diyala province. (AP/J. Menenga, Sioux City Journal)
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Photo Essay Week In Iraq Photos A daily diary with scenes of the latest attacks and snapshots from the effort to rebuild a nation.
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Timeline The U.S. And Iran Key events in once friendly, now contentious relationship between Washington and Tehran.
The bomb detonated at 10:20 (0220 Eastern) in the Bab al-Mudham area of central Baghdad. The car was parked on a road leading to the Housing and Municipality Ministry located in that the area, police added. Police and hospital officials gave the death and injury toll.
The dead included one police officer, while another four were wounded. The Bab al-Mudham district is a commercial area on the eastern side of the Tigris River.
Ahmadinejad, the first Iranian president to visit Iraq, said the foreign presence in the Arab country was an "insult to the regional nations and a humiliation."
"We believe that the major powers who have come to the region from thousands of kilometers away should respect the will of nations and leave this region. That's the best service they can offer these nations," Ahmadinejad said after meeting with Iraq's president on the two-day trip.
The hardline Iranian leader arrived Sunday for an unprecedented visit to Iraq. He took the chance to build ties with officials in a once-hated neighbor and to accuse the United States of spreading terrorism.
CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey reports Ahmadinejad's visit was a firm symbolic gesture to Washington, "that Iran can't be ignored, or even short-changed as a player here".
Ahmadinejad said talks Sunday with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Sunni Kurd who told the Iranian to call him "Uncle Jalal," were "brotherly." Then he cut through the U.S.-controlled Green Zone to visit Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a fellow Shiite, in his Cabinet offices.
The sprawling Green Zone contains the core of the U.S. diplomatic mission to Iraq - including a massive new embassy - and is heavily protected against occasional rocket attacks, which the Americans have blamed on Iranian-backed Shiite extremists.
Ahmadinejad denied the charges at least twice in news conferences throughout the day.
"Six years ago, there were no terrorists in our region. As soon as the others landed in this country and the region, we witnessed their arrival and presence," he said Sunday night after meeting Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the largest Shiite political bloc.
Earlier, Ahmadinejad said that "such accusations increase the problems of the Americans in the region. The Iraqi people do not like the Americans."
The Iranian delegation seemed to enjoy the contrast between Ahmadinejad's visit and trips to Iraq by President Bush.
Ahmadinejad announced the dates of his visit in advance, landed at Baghdad International Airport in daylight and drove through the capital, albeit in a heavily guarded convoy, on a relatively quiet day. Iraqi forces provided security.
Mr. Bush's visits are typically a surprise and involve trips to U.S. military bases, like his journey to an air base in Anbar province last September.
In other developments:
The day before the Iranian president arrived, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, came to Baghdad unannounced to visit with commanders and Iraqi officials.
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On Saturday, Mr. Bush advised al-Maliki to tell the Iranian leader to "quit sending in sophisticated equipment that's killing our citizens."We call upon the United States and Iran not to make Iraq a field for their struggle.
Adnan al-Dulaimi, Powerful Sunni lawmakerRear Adm. Gregory Smith, a military spokesman, reiterated Sunday that the U.S. hopes the Iranian-Iraqi meetings produce "real and tangible results," which in the American view would include Iran ending its alleged training and funding of extremists.
The tone among Ahmadinejad and his Iraqi hosts, meanwhile, was more than cordial.
"We had very good talks that were friendly and brotherly," Ahmadinejad said after meeting with Talabani, who greeted him with an honor guard and a band that played both countries' national anthems. "We have mutual understandings and views in all fields, and both sides plan to improve relations as much as possible."
After a meeting involving Ahmadinejad, al-Maliki and their advisers, the Iraqi prime minister 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."
While both countries have a Shiite majority, their relationship has been checkered.
They were hostile to each other throughout the long reign of Saddam Hussein, a member of Iraq's Sunni minority, and fought a catastrophic eight-year war after Saddam invaded Iran in 1980. About 1 million people died in the conflict.
(AP Photo/Ahmad al-Rubaye)
Ahmadinejad, seen at left addressing journalists at the joint news conference with al-Maliki, said he was "very pleased with his visit to an Iraq not ruled by a dictator."
Still, the Iraqis are precariously balanced between U.S. and Iran, with government officials saying in recent weeks that they don't want the country torn apart in a power struggle between the two sides.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Fallujah, the scene of two battles between U.S. troops and Sunni insurgents, and demonstrated for an hour against Ahmadinejad's visit. "The chieftains of Fallujah condemn the visit of Ahmadinejad to Baghdad," one of their banners read. Another 50 people demonstrated against the visit in northern Kirkuk, and tribal chieftains in the country's Shiite-dominated southern region signed a petition against the visit.
Adnan al-Dulaimi, one of Iraq's most influential Sunni politicians, called for restraint. He said the visit indicated the strong Iranian influence in Iraq but hoped it would decrease tension between the two countries.
"We call upon the United States and Iran not to make Iraq a field for their struggle," he said.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Add a Comment See all 34 Comments
Re: "We believe that the major powers who have come to the region from thousands of kilometers away should respect the will of nations and leave this region. That''s the best service they can offer these nations," Ahmadinejad said..."
Wise words.
86 43, agreed.- Reply to this comment
- "If George Bush were to visit an American College Campus his life would be in Danger."
- Posted by demslie at 09:58 AM : Mar 03, 2008
The sight of all those classrooms and books would be too great a shock for his system to bear. - Reply to this comment
- Remember, Democrats are on the side of world wide terrorism. Today, Chavez continually threatens WAR, supports terrorist groups like FARC and violates every civil right of his people. Yet the Democrats come up with every excuse they can to support his point of view. IRAN wants to build atomic bombs to nuke our civilization back to the stone age. But, Democrats only get angry at Bush for saying we should do something about it. Even Saddam Hussein OBAMA is promising to do exactly what IRANIAN President Ahmadinejad has demanded and surrender as soon as he is elected. And this is the "New Change for America" that Saddam Hussein OBAMA, Hitlery and the Democraps have promised us.
Posted by demslie at 10:42 AM : Mar 03, 2008
Ha!Ha!Ha! All you need now is remove your KKK hood and see the moron beneath it.. You red-neck punk! Only 322 days left! Enjoy! - Reply to this comment
- "We call upon the United States and Iran not to make Iraq a field for their struggle," he said.
LOL! How about all the chemical weapons Saddam used on Iran from his backstabbing buddies in the US and EU? - Reply to this comment
- terrorislamb--Lars,,,,, You sure have a lot of questions --- Stay away from your jihadist web site & start watching something other than FOX
- Reply to this comment
- raised4952,,,,, Nutbag --- He''s not Muslim & never was ------ In fact he''s more of a hard line Christian than McCain is.
- Reply to this comment
- terrorislamb--Lars,,,,, No, of course OBL isn''t in jail.... Bush is too close with the Bin Laden family & the Saudi''s
- Reply to this comment
- we can all look forward to taking our american flag down and putting up our muslum flag up as soon as barack.hussien.obama wins the race.
- Reply to this comment
- terrorislamb--Lars,,,, I was talking about the previous terrorist atempt on the Trade Center ----- Bush allowed OBL to escape & grow his organization.
- Reply to this comment
- terrorislamb--Lars,,,, The only help or attention Bush has given to Africa was giving them condoms & higher costs HIV/AIDS meds.
- Reply to this comment
- terrorislamb--Lars,,,,
-- The ''93 Trade Center bomber was caught
-- Bush has appeased the Saudi''s & Yemen, both countries still actively recruit Al Queda & let terrorists walk out of court
-- Al Queda now has a foot hold in East Africa, Central Africa & North Africa
-- The skipper of the USS Cole was fired for derilection of duty & Bush appeased Yemen who let the Lackawanna Terrorist walk out of court. - Reply to this comment
- demslie,,,, Obviously you didn''''t learn anything from 9/11,,, Neither did all your republicans.
-- Iraq didn''''t do it --
-- Iraqi''''s kept Al Queda out of Iraq --
-- Bush is apeasing countries like the UAE & Yemen who openly recurit terrorist & let them walk out of courts ---
-- Al Queda is now in more countries --
-- Global Terrorism has grown --
-- Exceptionally Grave Damage has been done to our National Security --
-- Republicans use fear & increase terrorism for political gain - Reply to this comment
- demslie,,,, You don''t know squat about Central or South America & the mess that republicans created do you ??? 36 years later we are still cleaning up the mess & nothing''s changed.
- Reply to this comment
- demslie
You seem very well versed on international affairs and terrorism. why don''t you run for president. too bad you wouldn''t win, you are a bush wannabe and that is why mccain will loose in november. - Reply to this comment
- Remember, Democrats are on the side of world wide terrorism. Today, Chavez continually threatens WAR, supports terrorist groups like FARC and violates every civil right of his people. Yet the Democrats come up with every excuse they can to support his point of view. IRAN wants to build atomic bombs to nuke our civilization back to the stone age. But, Democrats only get angry at Bush for saying we should do something about it. Even Saddam Hussein OBAMA is promising to do exactly what IRANIAN President Ahmadinejad has demanded and surrender as soon as he is elected. And this is the "New Change for America" that Saddam Hussein OBAMA, Hitlery and the Democraps have promised us.
- Reply to this comment
- My friends, if John McCain is elected President, the first thing he will do is wave the Maroon Flag of Stupidity.
And my friends, America cannot afford to let that happen.
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Posted by Iceman_1960 at 09:53 AM : Mar 03, 2008
When John McCain gets elected on a stay in Iraq platform will you commit to kill yourself to martyr your cause? - Reply to this comment
- So let me get this straight. We invaded Iraq and made allies of Iran and Iraq. Brilliant work.
- Reply to this comment
- eorge W. Bush happens to be one of history%u2019s greatest cowards.
Posted by Iceman_1960
Would this be any different in the United States? If George Bush were to visit an American College Campus his life would be in Danger. If Ahmadinejad were to visit an American College Campus he would be given a heroes welcome.
Posted by demslie
To prove Icemans point, Ahmadinejad did visit an American campus, and he did make an @ss out of himself. When was the last time Bush appeared before anything other than: A. Troops forced to be there and used as a political backdrop, B. a staged group of supporters (a stacked house) or C. Fox News. Which is the coward? - Reply to this comment
- "The Iranian delegation seemed to enjoy the contrast between Ahmadinejad"s visit and trips to Iraq by President Bush. Ahmadinejad announced the dates of his visit in advance, landed at Baghdad International Airport in daylight and drove through the capital, albeit in a heavily guarded convoy, on a relatively quiet day. Iraqi forces provided security. Mr. Bush"s visits are typically a surprise and involve trips to U.S. military bases, like his journey to an air base in Anbar province last September."
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Don"t make too much of that.
George W. Bush happens to be one of history%u2019s greatest cowards.
Posted by Iceman_1960
Would this be any different in the United States? If George Bush were to visit an American College Campus his life would be in Danger. If Ahmadinejad were to visit an American College Campus he would be given a heroes welcome. IRAN, Al Qaeda and Democrats hate our president and our military exactly the same. Democrats hate Capitalism, Christianity and the American Military as mush as any terrorist group. Even OBAMA is promising to do exactly what Ahmadinejad has demanded and surrender as soon as he is elected. - Reply to this comment
- My friends, if John McCain is elected President, the first thing he will do is wave the Maroon Flag of Stupidity.
And my friends, America cannot afford to let that happen. - Reply to this comment
