Iran's Ahmadinejad in Baghdad for landmark visit

BAGHDAD, March 2 (Reuters) - Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, arrived in Baghdad on Sunday, Iraqi officials said, making the first visit to Iraq by an Iranian president.

Ahmadinejad will hold talks with Iraq's top leaders during the two-day trip. A key issue likely to come up will be U.S. accusations that Iran arms and trains Shi'ite militias in Iraq. Iran denies the charges.

Iran, a predominantly Shi'ite Muslim country, and Iraq fought an eight-year war in the 1980s in which hundreds of thousands were killed. Ties have improved since Sunni Arab strongman Saddam Hussein was ousted in 2003 and a Shi'ite Islamist-led government came to power in Baghdad.

(Baghdad newsroom)