Video

The Iranian president becomes the first major regional leader to visit Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein - his arrival a stark contrast to the secretive visits made by George Bush. It is also the first visit by an Iranian leader since the two neighbours fought a bitter war in the 1980s. Visiting dignitaries normally travel into Baghdad city centre by helicopter to avoid the notoriusly dangerous road as a security measure - not so Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who's motorcade made its way straight to President Jalal Talibani's residence. The visit is expected to be as much about symbolism as about cementing ties. SOUNDBITE: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian President saying (Farsi): "This visit will open a new chapter in the two countries' bilateral relations and it will help the atmosphere of cooperation in the region." In Baghdad, expectations of the visit are high. SOUNDBITE: Ahmed Aziz, Baghdad resident saying (Arabic): "Iran is a major country in the region with great influence and cooperation with Iran will boost security." But not everone backs the Shi'ite state's involvement in Iraqi affairs. In the Sunni province of Anbar, demonstrators took to the streets of Falluja - calling on the Iranian to go home. Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for U.S. forces to leave Iraq, blaming them for violence that has killed hundreds of thousands of people since the 2003 invasion. Washington says it will play no part in the historic visit - but it will be watching and listening. Stuart McDill, Reuters TV AND WEB RESTRICTIONS~**NONE**~ +++FULL SHOWS AND STORY TO FOLLOW+++ SHOWS: FALLUJA, IRAQ (MARCH 2, 2008) (AG POOL- ACCESS ALL) 1. FALLUJA TRIBESMEN PARTICIPATING IN DEMONSTRATION 2. DEMONSTRATORS CARRYING BANNERS/ CNATING ANTI IRAN SLOGANS 3. MORE OF DEMONSTRATORS CARRYING BANNERS/ CHNATING ANTI US SLOGANS 4. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ABDULHAMEED, A DEMONSTRATOR SAYING: "On behalf of Falluja residents we say that Ahmedinejad should leave this land." 5. TEENAGE BOYS CARRYING BANNER READING: "YOU NAJAD, TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF IRAQ" 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ABDULRAHMAN AL-ZOBAIEI, ANOTHER DEMONSTRATOR SAYING: "We denounce the Iranian president's visit to Baghdad. The people of Falluja have gathered here to express rejection by Falluja's people and all the Iraqis of this visit because of Iran's flagrant intervention in Iraq's internal affairs. We consider the Iranian government responsible for all the tragedies in Iraq." 7. BANNER READING: "We demand the Iranian president to stop supporting and training the terrorist al-Qaeda organisation" 8. VARIOUS OF DEMONSTRATORS CHNATING ANTI IRAN SLOGANS STORY: Around two hundreds of Falluja residents, including teenagers marched through the streets of the city on Sunday (March 2) in condemnation of the visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Iraq. The demonstrators carried banners and chanted slogans anti the visit of the Iranian president while walking in the streets of the city. Abdulhameed, one of the demosntrators said that the residents of Falluja want Ahmedinejad to leave Iraq. "On behalf of Falluja residents we say that Ahmedinejad should leave this land," he said. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hailed a new chapter in ties with Iraq on Sunday, saying he was "truly happy" to make a landmark trip to Baghdad now that Iran's arch-foe Saddam Hussein had been deposed. He is the first Iranian president to visit Iraq since Saddam launched a ruinous eight-year war in the 1980s in which a million people died. Abdulrahman al-Zobaiei consider Iran as the main reason behind all the tragedies that happened in Iraq. "We denounce the Iranian president's visit to Baghdad. The people of Falluja have gathered here to express rejection by Falluja's people and all the Iraqis of this visit because of Iran's flagrant intervention in Iraq's internal affairs. We consider the Iranian government responsible for all the tragedies in Iraq," he said. Ahmadinejad's trip is as much about symbolism as it will be about cementing ties between the neighbours, which are both run by Shi'ite majorities. It will be closely watched by Washington, which has more than 150,000 troops in Iraq. Relations between Iran and Iraq have markedly improved since the 2003 invasion that ousted Saddam. Many of Iraq's Shi'ite leaders were in exile in Iran during Saddam's long rule. Ahmadinejad is the first regional leader to visit since the 2003 invasion. Both Iran and Iraq are run by Shi'ite Muslim majorities in a region dominated by Sunni Arabs, who are wary of the rise to power of Shi'ites, a minority in Islam. Provincial officials in the southern cities of Kerbala and Najaf, home to several of Shi'ite Islam's holiest sites that draw millions of pilgrims, said they were expecting a visit by Ahmadinejad on Monday. ******** 0 BC-IRAQ/AHMADINEJAD-POMP-(TV,-PIX) :BC-IRAQ/AHMADINEJAD-POMP (TV, PIX) Iran leader's Iraq visit eclipses US, Arab ties By Mohammed Abbas BAGHDAD, March 2 (Reuters) - Pomp and ceremony greeted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his arrival in Iraq on Sunday, the fanfare a stark contrast to the rushed and secretive visits of his bitter rival U.S. President George W. Bush. Ahmadinejad held hands with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani as they walked down a red carpet to the tune of their countries' national anthems, his visit the first by an Iranian president since the two neighbours fought a ruinous war in the 1980s. His warm reception, in which he was hugged and kissed by Iraqi officials and presented with flowers by children, was Iraq's first full state welcome for any leader since the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003. His visit not only marks the cementing in ties between the neighbours, both run by Shi'ite majorities, but is seen as a show of support for the Iraqi government and an act of defiance against Iran's longtime enemy, the United States, which has over 150,000 troops Iraq. A line of senior Iraqi political leaders welcomed Ahmadinejad when he arrived at Talabani's palatial home. Bush has visited Iraq several times, his administration keen to reduce Iranian influence in the world's top oil-exporting region. But that goal been made harder by a reluctance from Iraq's mainly Sunni Arab neighbours to send high-level diplomatic representation, or even to visit, despite U.S. encouragement. "To Iraq's neighbours, Ahmadinejad's visit underlines that a non-Arab country has kept its embassies open since the fall of Saddam and its leader visits Iraq," Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Labeed Abbawi told Reuters. Many Arab diplomats have stayed away after a suicide car bomber attacked the Jordanian embassy in August 2003, killing 17 people. Militants have killed several other diplomats, including an Egyptian who had been sent to head Cairo's mission in 2005. "Not a single Arab country has an embassy in Iraq and not one of their leaders has visited, despite Iraq being an Arab country," Abbawi said. Several Arab nations have missions in Iraq, but none has ambassadors permanently in the country. Ahmadinejad's motorcade took Iraq's notoriously dangerous airport road to Talabani's palace at the start of his two-day visit, eschewing the helicopter trip usually taken by other visiting dignitaries as a security measure. Bush's last visit in September 2007 was to a desert airbase in Anbar province in Iraq's west. He flew in unannounced to ward off insurgent attacks and the visit was over in a few hours. Washington says Tehran supplies weapons and training to Shi'ite militias in Iraq, a charge Tehran denies. Analysts say Iran seeks a stable Iraq but at the same time wants to make life difficult for occupying U.S. forces. Ahmadinejad, whose government is at odds with Washington over Tehran's nuclear programme, has repeatedly called for U.S. forces to leave Iraq, blaming them for violence that has killed tens of thousands of Iraqis since the 2003 invasion. U.S. officials in Baghdad say they will play no role in Ahmadinejad's visit and that the U.S. military will not be involved in protecting him as he travels around unless it is asked for help. When Ahmadinejad flew into Baghdad, his plane was controlled by Iraqi air controllers. But from his plane, Ahmadinejad would probably have seen the rows of American armoured vehicles and helicopters at a giant U.S. military base next to the airport. (Editing by Paul Tait and Samia Nakhoul) ((mohammed.abbasreuters.com, +973 17 502 031; Reuters Messaging: mohammed.abbas.reuters.comreuters.net)) REUTERS 021208 GMT mar 08