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| September 13, 2006 | Wednesday | Sha'aban 19, 1427 |
Iran assures Iraq of help over security: Washington terms Tehran part of the problem
TEHRAN, Sept 12: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, on his first official visit to Iran, on Tuesday won a pledge from Tehran of unequivocal support in restoring security to his country.
“Iran will give its assistance to establish complete security in Iraq because Iraq’s security is Iran’s security,” Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told reporters after talks with Mr Maliki in Tehran.
“We had a good discussion with Mr Ahmadinejad. Even in security issues there is no barrier in the way of cooperation,” the Iraqi prime minister said for his part.
The United States reacted warily to Iran’s pledge, alleging that Tehran was ‘part of the problem’.
“We just have to take a look at precisely what it means,” White House spokesman Tony Snow said.
“The most important thing that Iran can do is not be part of the problem by financing separatist and terrorist groups who are trying to undermine democracy in Iraq,” said the spokesman.
Iran has emerged as one of the strongest allies of the Shia-dominated government in Baghdad after the fall of Saddam Hussein, but has also drawn criticism for allegedly aiding Shiite militants.
The US military last month accused Iranian forces of training and providing weapons to ‘Shia extremists’ in Iraq in order to carry out violent attacks in the country.
The United States has regularly charged Iranians of funding and providing weapons for triggering violence in Iraq, but has always stopped short of accusing the Iranian government of playing a direct role in the violence.
“Iran supports the Iraqi government that has been created by the Iraqi people’s votes and strengthening a united and independent Iraq is in the interest of all the region,” said Mr Ahmadinejad.
“We completely support our brothers in the parliament and government of Iraq,” he added.
The Iraqi prime minister said the US allegations of Iranian interference in Iraq will have no bearing on latest economic cooperation deals signed between Baghdad and Tehran.
“All the political, security and economic accords that have been signed with the Islamic republic’s officials will be carried out,” he said.
Mr Maliki is leading a large delegation including Iraq’s national security advisory Muwaffak al-Rubaie for the two-day visit, which was to end on Wednesday with talks with supreme leader Ali Khamenei and influential former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
The first visit by an Iraqi premier since the fall of Saddam Hussein was made by Mr Maliki’s predecessor, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, in July last year.
The two countries waged a war between 1980 and 1988 in which around one million people died but ties have warmed considerably since Saddam’s fall, with Iran becoming a close ally of the Iraqi government.—AFP
Marines lose Anbar?
BAGHDAD: The commander of US Marines in Iraq denied on Tuesday his troops had lost the Anbar province they patrol, after newspapers said his intelligence chief had written the grimmest report from the field since the war began.
Washington appears to have been jolted by the classified assessment by Colonel Peter Devlin, which describes the failure of the Marines to pacify Anbar province.
The Washington Post reported on Monday that officials who have seen the report said it described the province as lost.
—Reuters
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