Ahmadinejad: Iran wants to help Iraq

TEHRAN,Iran (AP) — Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his country wants to use its experience to help neighboring Iraq make progress.

Ahmadinejad's comments, which were reported by the presidential news website, came during a Friday meeting with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani.

The two countries have had close relations after the 2003 overthrow of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who fought an eight-year war against Iran in the 1980s. The war left some one million casualties on both sides.

The United States has repeatedly accused overwhelmingly-Shiite Iran of using its influence in the majority-Shiite Iraq to fight U.S-led forces. Iran has denied the charge, saying the U.S occupation has caused security concerns there.