European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 29, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                May 2007 stars and stripes Mideast edition Page 3 at Iran offers to equip iraqis a troubled relationship heres a history of official con tact and near misses be tween and iranian relations cooled in Early 1979 when Ayatollah Khomeini ousted the in november of that iranian militants seized the embassy and took 52 Ameri cans hostage for 444 this led the United states to Cut off diplomatic relations with May 2007 Secretary of state condole Ezza Rice and iranian for eign minister Manouchehr Motoaki Exchange a polite greeting at a conference in May 2006 iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad writes president Bush an 18page lambasting the Leader for his handling of the at 20012002 officials from both sides communicate before and after the invasion of Afghanistan to topple the whom Tehran also March 2000 the Clinton administration lifts a ban on imports of iranian luxury goods and says it would seek a Legal settlement that could free iranian assets Frozen since 198586 a series of secret meet Ings take place Between the and in which the United states sold weapons to Iran and gave the proceeds to Central Ameri can the scandal came to be known As the Ira Contra april 1980 the United states Breaks diplomatic relations with Iran and imposes economic sanctions Over the hostage december 1977 president Jimmy Carter visits Iran and in a new years eve Toast under the great leadership of the is an Island of stability in the Middle the state department says this was the last substantive High level meeting Between the two May 1975 Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi visits the United states and meets with president Gerald a Diplomat warns Tehran against funding militias by Steven Hurst the associated press Baghdad the United states ambassador in Baghdad said he and his iranian counter part agreed broadly on policy to Ward Iraq during four hour groundbreaking talks on but insisted that Iran end its sup port for the iranian ambassador later said the two sides would meet again in less than a Hassan Kazemi the Irani an also said that he told the americans that his government was ready to train and equip the iraqi army and police to create a new military and Security Struc Kazemi did not elaborate nor would he say How ambassador Ryan Crocker the Baghdad talks were the first of their kind and a Small sign that Washington thinks rapprochement with Iran is possible after More than a Quarte Century of diplomatic estrangement that began with the 1979 islamic Revo the next meeting will occur in Iraq in less than one Kazemi said after his news Confer ence at the iranian Crocker earlier said the iraqis planned to propose a second ses Sion and that the United states would decide upon a follow on meeting when the invitation was is we will consider that when we receive Crocker told reporters in the Green the purpose of this meeting was not to arrange other Crocker described the session As Businesslike and said Iran pro posed setting up a trilateral Secu Rity mechanism that would in clude the Iraq and an idea he said would require study in deaths in Iraq the associated press As of at least members of the military have died since the beginning of the Iraq War in March according to an associated press the figure includes seven military at least died As a result of hostile according to the Mili Tarys the a count is 19 higher than the defense departments last updated Friday at 10 the British military has re ported 149 deaths 33 18 20 bulgar 13 11 seven Al five Slova four three two each and South one death the latest deaths reported by the military a Soldier was killed Satur Day by an explosion in Dyala a Soldier was killed Satur Day by an explosion in Western the latest identifications re ported by the military no identifications Iran demands the release of five iranians detained in january Turkmenistan Caspian sea Syria Iraq Irbell Baghdad o claims iranian elements Are o supplying Tehran weapons to shiite militias Iran iranian influence on political and militia groups in Iraq shiite heartland 0 100 i 0 100km shiite Kuwait new talks with Iran mondays groundbreaking talks Between the and Iran in Baghdad Are shadowed by disputes and concerns on both saudi Arabia show of might in critical Oil shipping lanes source sri a Hadi ambassador to Iraq Ryan right and his iranian counterpart Hassan Kazemi far participated in the first diplomatic meeting Between the two nations in a Quarte Century monday at iraqi prime minister Nouri Alma Likis Baghdad the envoy also said he told the iranians their country needed to Stop funding and train ing the the iranians Laid out their policy toward Crock or describing it As very Simi Lar to our own policy and what the iraqi government have set out As their own guiding he added this is about actions not just and i Laid out to the iranians specific con Cerns about their behaviour in Iraq and their support for militias that Are fighting iraqi and coalition Kazemi did not raise the subject of seven iranians now in Ameri can custody in Crocker said the focus of our discussions were Iraq and Iraq the talks were held at iraqi prime minister Nouri Alma Likis Green zone Almalik did not attend the but the prime minister greeted the two who Shook and led them into a conference where the ambassadors sat across from each speaking in iranian for eign minister Manouchehr Motta i said the United states should admit its Middle East policy has mondays As had a pinpoint focus what Washington and Iran separately or to Gether could do to contain the sectarian conflagration in the american Side has accusations against Iran and the iranian Side has some remarks on the pres ence of the american forces on iraqi which they see As a threat to their said Ali an iraqi govern ment Washington and its sunni Arab allies Are deeply unnerved by growing iranian influence in the Middle East and the spread of increasingly Radical fallen not leaving Mideast in near future by Pat Milton the associated press new York the top commander in the Middle East said sunday that Iran is a major player in the Region that cannot be ignored but that the United states has no intention of As Iran would like to see will Iam fallen said the would continue to main Tain a pres ence in the Middle As it has for at the request of other coun tries in the fallen we have to figure out a Way to come to an arrangement with fallen told the associated the admirals remarks came on the eve of mondays meeting Between american and iranian ambassadors in Baghdad to Dis cuss ways to ease the crisis in Fallon succeeded army John Abizaid As head of Cen trial command earlier this he is overseeing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and managing military relationships with saudi Pakistan and other nations at the Center of president Bush strategy for fighting terror Fallon also said he welcomed Bush creation of an iraqi War Czar which was created to eliminate conflicts Between the department of state and other he also said about three Quad ters of the troops Are in place for a planned surge in Iraq and that the additional troops will be in place by next Fallon said increased efforts to Root out insurgents and quell sectarian violence could mean an increase in we Are uncovering the bad a and they Are not taking it lying Fallon we Are trying to turn the and they Are fighting 21 killed in car bombing at Baghdad Market the associated press Baghdad a suicide car bomber struck a Busy Baghdad commercial District kill ing at least 21 people and wound ing setting cars on fire and damaging a nearby sunni police and Hospital officials the blast went off at 2 in the Sinak Market area on the East Side of the Tigris insurgents carried out several mortar and car bombing attacks throughout the capital monday and even waged a lengthy gunboat the with police in Broad the wave of which killed 36 people across came despite a nearly 15weekold Security crackdown in the earlier a Battle raged Between militants and police in the narrow alleys of another Cen trial Baghdad neighbourhood after insurgents hijacked two minibuses and kidnapped at least 15 Pas police at least three policemen were killed in the authorities the buses were travelling from Baghdad main bus station to the cites Eastern shiite neighbor hoods about when gun men in three cars forced them to Stop As they passed through the sunni enclave of the attackers took the Passen Gers to a nearby abandoned medi Cal a gun Battle broke out when iraqi Security forces arrived 30 minutes police nine militants were after 45 iraqi Security forces stormed the but the militants had already apparently with their police also another 33 bul let riddled bodies were found blindfolded and show ing signs of torture in different parts of