Iraq, Iran to close war prisoners files ultimately

An official at the Iraqi foreign ministry said that Iran will release on Monday 697 Iraqi prisoners, in coincidence with Baghdad's release of 50 Iranian prisoners who were arrested after 1991 because of crimes or violations they had committed.

The Iraqi official in charge of the file of Iraqi missing and prisoners file Fahmi al-Qesi, who is also the chairman of the legal department at the Iraqi foreign ministry said the two sides were able to close several files of the Iraqis who were jailed during the war between the two countries.

For his part the advisor for the Iranian foreign minister Ameer Zamani, currently visiting Iraq since 10 days stressed that there is a full political will at the two sides to solve the question of the prisoners which constitutes a main bulwark before the normalization of relations between the two countries.

The Iranian official in charge of the missing and prisoners Abdullah Najafi expressed his hope to close all suspended humanitarian files in the coming talks due to be held in very coming times.