Neighbours blame Saddam for 1980-88 war

Iraq and Iran have issued a joint statement blaming Saddam Hussein and his henchmen for being the military aggressors in the 1980-88 war between both countries and Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The statement, issued today during Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi's historic trip to Iraq, comes as the Shiite Muslim-dominated governments of both countries try to forge better ties following Saddam's removal from power two years ago.

The former Iraqi dictator, who was captured in December 2003, is facing charges including killing rival politicians during his 30-year rule, gassing Kurds, invading Kuwait in 1990 and suppressing Kurdish and Shiite uprisings in 1991. He is in US military custody with several of his former top aides awaiting trial. No trial dates have been set.

Iraqi officials inside the country's new government and Iran's Shiite-led theocracy have previously blamed the former Iraqi dictator for starting the bloody eight-year war against Iran, in which 1 million people died.

But the latest statement marks the first time Iraq has jointly accused with Iran the former Iraqi president for being the aggressor in the war.

"The two sides confirm the necessity of trying the leaders of the former regime in Iraq in a fair trial because they committed war crimes and crimes against humanity and their military aggression against the Iraqi people, Iran and Kuwait," the statement said.

Iran has said previously it is considering filing a suit against Saddam for invading Iran, which says it is owed billions in war damages.

Iraq also owes billions to Kuwait for damage to oil facilities and the environment caused during Iraq's seven-month occupation of Iraqi that began August 1990 and ended with the February liberation by a US-led coalition during the Gulf War.

Ties between Kuwait and Iraq have resumed since the fall of Saddam.

During that seven-month Gulf crisis, Iraq flew 120 military and civilian planes to Iran for safekeeping during the war in Kuwait. Tehran since has said it would keep the planes as compensation for war damages it sought from Iraq.

Iraq had started to pay through the United Nations billions of dollars to Kuwaitis who lost possessions and relatives during the Iraqi occupation and the Gulf War.

Views among Iraqi Shiites toward Iran range from hate to devotion. Despite 60% of Iraq's 26 million people being Shiite, many harbour resentment toward Iran over the war.

Some Iraqi Shiite leaders have previously said that their country should compensate Iran over the war, comments which have angered many Iraqis.