Iraq's President Barham Salih said his country supports stability in the region and urged an end to current tensions after he arrived in Iran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iran's President-elect Ebrahim Raisi.
“Iraq strongly supports the stability of the region, security and to end the tensions,” Mr Salih said, according to a statement from his office, after his first meeting with Mr Raisi.
Iraq has led initiatives to hold meetings between Iran and Saudi Arabia and other rivals in Baghdad, as part of its continued efforts to diffuse tensions.
The two leaders discussed “mutual issues between the two neighbourly countries in a way to boost bilateral relations as well as the developments in the region,” the statement said.
Mr Salih hailed Iran’s role in helping Iraq fight ISIS when the extremist group took over nearly a third of the country in mid-2014.
Mr Raisi, 60, said his country “is looking forward to boosting bilateral relations with Iraq in all sectors” and supporting “the stability and security of Iraq.”
The two countries fought a ruinous eight-year war in the 1980s that left an estimated 1 million people dead.
But relations have improved since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and brought Shiites — many of whom sought shelter in Iran — to power.
Since then, Iran’s influence has grown in Iraq through its support of political parties and militias, trained and armed by Tehran to fight US troops and then ISIS.
The former chief of the Iran's judiciary, Mr Raisi won a presidential poll in June in which more than half of the electorate stayed away. Many political heavyweights were barred from standing.
The ultraconservative president-elect replaces the moderate Hassan Rouhani.
His inauguration ceremony is to be held at 10.30am local time at the supreme leader's offices in central Tehran.
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
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FROM%20THE%20ASHES
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
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Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
BLACK%20ADAM
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.