By Ross Colvin
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes alandmark trip to Iraq on Sunday, the first Iranian president tovisit since the two neighbours fought a protracted war in the1980s that killed a million people.
His trip is expected to be as much about symbolism as itwill be about cementing ties between Shi'ite Iran and Baghdad'sShi'ite-led government. It will be closely watched by arch-foethe United States, which has more than 150,000 troops in Iraq.
Ahmadinejad, known for his provocative rhetoric, has saidthat the United States is to blame for violence in Iraq andcalled for U.S. troops to leave.
"Security for Iraq is security for Iran, and this does notsuit the enemy because they do not want stability for theregion, so they can continue their meddling in its affairs andjustify the presence of its military," he said in an interviewwith Iraqi journalists published in local newspapers.
Speaking on the eve of his trip to Baghdad, Ahmadinejadsaid his visit would help improve security in Iraq.
"It will surely help strengthen the Iraqi nation and thegovernment ... and peace and security in the region," he toldIranian state television. "Withdrawal of the occupying forcesis in everyone's advantage," he added.
Washington says Tehran supplies weapons and training toShi'ite Muslim militias to attack U.S. troops, a charge Tehrandenies. The two countries are also at odds over Iran's nuclearprogram.
Iran's influence in Iraq has grown substantially since the2003 U.S.-led invasion ousted Saddam Hussein, and analysts sayAhmadinejad will use his visit to show Washington that Tehranis a power in Iraq that cannot be ignored or sidelined.
Iranian deputy Foreign Minister Alireza Sheikh-Attar saidAhmadinejad would sign five to 10 agreements during his trip.
NO U.S. ROLE
U.S. officials in Baghdad say they will play no role inAhmadinejad's visit and that the U.S. military will not beinvolved in protecting him as he travels around.
When Ahmadinejad, the first Iranian president to visitsince the 1979 Islamic Revolution, flies into Baghdadinternational airport, his plane will be controlled by Iraqiair controllers.
And unlike the strict secrecy that surrounds visits by U.S.President George W. Bush to reduce the risk of an insurgentattack, Ahmadinejad's trip has been well-flagged. Also, unlikeBush, he will be spending the night.
Details of the schedule for the first day of his visit madepublic so far suggest he may not enter the U.S.-protected GreenZone that houses Iraqi ministries and the U.S. embassy.
Instead he will meet Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, VicePresident Adel Abdul-Mahdi, both Shi'ites, and President JalalTalabani, a Kurd, at Talabani's house in the central Karradadistrict and stay the night there, Iraqi officials said.
Abdul-Mahdi told Reuters on Saturday that Iraq wanted touse Ahmadinejad's visit to resolve a number of long-runningdisputes including defining their common border, a flashpointissue that sparked the 1980-88 war between the two countries.
Analysts say that despite its reported support for Shi'itemilitias, Iran prefers a stable if not necessarily strong Iraq.It was widely seen to be behind a ceasefire called by Shi'itecleric and Mehdi Army leader Moqtada al-Sadr last August.
Iraq's Shi'ite leaders have close ties with Iran as manylived in exile there during Saddam's rule, although itsinfluence over them is unclear. Iran and Iraq also have strongeconomic and cultural links.
Tens of thousands of Iranians and Iraqis cross borders tovisit holy sites. Iran also said it was offering a $1 billion(500 million pound) loan to Iraq for projects to be handled byIranian firms.
(Additional reporting by Mariam Karouny, Wisam Mohammad andMohammed Abbas; editing by Sami Aboudi)
