Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on Monday sent a congratulatory message to his newly appointed Iraqi counterpart, Naji Sabri, reported the official Iranian news agency, IRNA.
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on Saturday appointed Sabri as foreign minister in place of Tareq Aziz, who had occupied the post on a temporary basis.
Prior to the new appointment, Sabri was the state minister for foreign affairs.
More than a decade after the end of the Iran-Iraq war which ended in 1988, the POW issue and the rival governments' support for opposition groups remain stumbling blocks to a warming of ties.
In remarks made last month to mark the 13th anniversary of Iran's acceptance of UN Security Council Resolution 598, which ended the Iran-Iraq conflict with a ceasefire, but no formal treaty, Kharrazi said Baghdad "lacks the political will to improve" relations – Albawaba.com
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