Iran, Saudi sides continue tension-easing talks in Baghdad

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi officials say representatives from Iran and Saudi Arabia have held a new round of talks in Baghdad, the first such meeting between the regional foes since a new president was sworn in in Tehran. The meeting held last week discussed “pending issues between the two countries according to a previously agreed on roadmap, including diplomatic representation between the two countries,” according to one Iraqi official. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give official statements, described the talks as positive. Iraq has recently played the role of regional mediator between the two regional foes whose rivalry has often played out to deadly consequences in Iraq and elsewhere in the region.