BAGHDAD, May 26: Iran has ruled out for now proposed talks with the United States over the future of Iraq because of Washington’s ‘negative’ attitude, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Friday.
“We had decided to have direct talks on the issue of Iraq with Americans,” Mr Mottaki, visiting Baghdad, said at a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshiyar Zebari.
“Unfortunately, the American side tried to use this decision as propaganda and they raised some other issues. They tried to create a negative atmosphere and that’s why the decision which was taken for the time being is suspended,” he added.
After meeting new Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki, Mr Mottaki also warned the United States it would face retaliation if it mounted any attack on the Islamic Republic.
“In the event that Americans attack Iran anywhere, Iran will respond with an attack in that place,” he told a separate news conference with Iraqi parliament speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.
Mottaki, whose visit has spotlighted Iran’s role in its US-occupied neighbour, also said Tehran would host a regional meeting on Iraq, but did not specify when.
He met Mr Maliki less than a week after the Shia Islamist formed a national unity government pledging to curb persistent bloodshed that has shown no sign of abating.
The United States has no diplomatic relations with Iran. President George Bush has authorised his ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, to hold talks with Iran on what Washington says is meddling there by Tehran, but none have so far taken place amid reports of divisions in the U.S. administration.
Last month, Washington said talks with Iran were on hold as Iraq’s government was being formed. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also said last month there was no need for such talks for the time being.
IRAN-IRAQ TIES: Mr Mottaki’s trip was the second such visit from Iran since US-led forces overthrew Saddam Hussein in 2003 and oversaw the election of a Shia leadership close to Tehran. US and British officials accuse Iranian forces of providing bomb-making expertise and equipment to Iraqis.
Mr Mottaki said Tehran would invite Iraq’s neighbours and Egypt for a meeting on the country at ‘the first opportunity’.
“The regional countries at this meeting will emphasise the continuation of a joint determination to help restore peace and security in Iraq,” he said.
In a sign of how relations between Iraq and Iran have improved since Saddam’s downfall, Mr Zebari said Tehran had the right to develop a peaceful nuclear programme.—Reuters