Iran boycotts Iraq's neighbors conference

Iran announced yesterday that its foreign minister will boycott Iraq's neighbors conference due to be held in Jordan on the ground that this conference aims at affecting the elections in Iraq and that Amman is involved in a conspiracy for the return back of the Hashamite royal regime there.

The spokesman for the Iranian government Abdullah Ramadan Zada said that his country believes that this conference is meant to interfere in the internal affairs of Iraq.

Amman's relations with Tehran witnessed notable coolness since warning made by the Jordanian king Abdullah II in December 2004 to that Iran wants to establish a Shiite Crescent extends from its lands and reaches Lebanon through Iraq and Syria.

In return, Iran reacted by accusing Jordan of planning to bring back the royal rule to Iraq. In this regard Zada said "Jordan which provided shelter to the Baathists wants to bring back the rule of its family in Iraq." Several Iraqi officials are visiting Jordan. Many of them are members of the ruling Baath party in Iraq before.

Jordan extended invitations to the foreign ministers of Iraq's neighboring states in order to attend a conference to be held this week and precedes the Iraqi elections due on January 30th 2004.

On Monday, the Jordanian foreign ministry announced it was not officially notified by Tehran that its foreign minister Kamal Kharazi is not taking place in the Iraq's neighboring states foreign ministers in Amman.