Iran releases 480 Iraqi prisoners

Some 480 Iraqi prisoners arrived in Iraq on Thursday after they were released by the Iranian government.

The official in charge of the issue of prisoners at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Fahemi al-Qeisi, called on Iran not to divide the process of releasing the prisoners and to accelerate the process of releasing them, stressing that such a measure would open good prospects in the relations between the two countries.

Al-Qeisi said that the International Committee of the Red Cross told him that Iran had intended to release new groups of prisoners.

Thereby the number of Iraqi prisoners released by Iran since April 8 under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross reached 2,479.