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TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hosted regional
leaders on Saturday for a celebration of the ancient Persian New Year,
in an apparent effort to push political ties to combat Iran's isolation.

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Ahmadinejad hosted the presidents of Iraq, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and
Turkmenistan at the Sadabad palace in Tehran in a ceremony shown live on
state television.

Nowruz is celebrated in all five countries, a cultural bloc with
populations that speak closely related languages including Farsi, Dari,
Tajik and Kurdish.

The Iranian calendar dates to the beginning of the Islamic era in 622 AD
but Iranian months are solar not lunar. The new Iranian year is 1389.

"We are celebrating together Nowruz today and promoting the Nowruz
banner as one of justice, freedom, equality and fraternity among all
countries," Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a minority Kurd in
Arab-dominated Iraq, said.

Ahmadinejad, whose policies have served to increase Iran's international
isolation, talked of "collective cooperation" among countries of the
bloc.

"It is a cause of joy ... >>>