BAGHDAD, May 17: Iran’s foreign minister pledged on Tuesday that his country would act to stop guerillas crossing into Iraq. Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi, the most senior Iranian official to visit Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein, said he had promised the new government that Iran would cooperate on security and not provide any support to the militants.

“We will not allow terrorists to use our lands to access Iraq,” Mr Kharrazi told a news conference in Baghdad. “We will watch our borders and will arrest infiltrators, because securing Iraq is securing the Islamic Republic.” The Iraqi government has accused neighbouring countries of not doing enough to secure their borders.

Although Iraq and Iran fought a bitter war in the 1980s, Iraq’s new government has strong links with Tehran. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari welcomed Mr Kharrazi’s comments, and said the Al Qaeda leader in Iraq, Jordanian militant Abu Musab al Zarqawi, was an enemy of both countries.

“We need the help of our brothers in neighbouring countries at this stage to curb terrorism and control the borders ... We are sure the Islamic Republic does not want Al Qaeda and Abu Musab al Zarqawi on our lands,” Mr Zebari said.—Reuters