US - Iran agree to meet over Iraq; differences clear
Iraq-Iran-USA, Politics, 7/23/2007

Iraq's president Jalal Talabani today thanked Iran for caring for Iraq problems and trying to help Iraqi government and nation.

In a meeting with Iranian team currently in Baghdad for negotiations with the US, Talabani hoped that Iran-US talks on Iraq would be a step forward to provide the Iraqi people and government elect with more support.

Also, in a meeting with the Iranian delegation, Iraq's foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari lauded Iran's decision for continuation of talks with US adding that it is in direction of support for Iraqi nation and government.

Referring to Iran's policies to support Iraq, Zebari also expressed hope that the Iranian delegation would introduce its viewpoints seriously for a constructive talk. He hoped that the new round of talks among Iran and US teams would lead to more stabilization and security in Iraq.

In the meeting, Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad and head of Iran's negotiation team Hasan Kazemi Qomi reviewed Iran's important objectives and plans and thanked Iraqi officials for holding first round of talks.

Stressing on Iran's support for people and elected government of Iraq, he hoped that the US delegation would pursue the issues of the new round of talks seriously and the results be beneficial to Iraq's progress.

The second round of negotiations between Iran and the US on Iraq's security will be held in Baghdad on Tuesday.

Iran's Ambassador to Iraq said today that the second round of talks would be held at ambassadorial level as the first round. He reiterated that the talks will be held in presence of Iraqi officials.

The Iranian envoy further announced that head of Iran's Foreign Ministry special headquarters in charge of Iraq, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and Reza Amiri, a Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) official, will also attend the Tuesday talks.

The talks will focus on Iraq's security issues, Qomi said.

Iran's Government Spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham had said yesterday the Iran's stand on the US has not changed, however, Tehran would use all its potentials to pursue its foreign policy. Commenting on the second round of Iran-US talks over Iraq he said that the talks would be held "within the framework set up by Iran's senior authorities." He said, "Talks with the US will be held to help Iraq and thwart threats posed to the region as a result of foreign troops presence."

He stressed that Iran-US talks on Iraq were held "based on the policy made by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Stressing that US hostility to Iran was still continuing, Elham said, "As long as Washington pursues its arrogant policy, problems will remain unsolved and Iran will strongly follow its own policies."

Commenting on the US President George Bush's peace plan for the Middle East, the spokesman said "The US plans for the region are not applicable as they are made with no respect to the rights of regional nations and equal rights of governments" including those of the people in Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan. "Any peace plan which does not respect these rights will be ineffective," Elham said.

In response to a question whether expulsion of the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization from Iraq had been discussed by Iran and the US at the their first round of talks on Iraq, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said Sunday said "No talks were held regarding this case."

Hosseini also rejected news report that Iran had supplied Iraq with airplane saying "The news is not reliable."

The US Department Of State Sean McCormack for his part said today that "In terms of the outcomes of the meeting where the -- it'll be up to the Iranians. We have previously met with an Iranian delegation in Baghdad to focus specifically on issues related to Iraq and Iraq's stability. This is another of those meetings. Ambassador Crocker will represent our side and you can talk to the Iranians about who will be on their side. And it's designed to see if Iran will change its behavior and we can talk about issues related to Iraq. We think that this kind of engagement is important, that at the very least, we can have a direct message to the Iranians that if they truly do want a more stable, secure, prosperous Iraq, they're going to have to change their behavior. Now, after the first meeting, we haven't seen really any appreciable change in their behavior, certainly not for the positive. We had gone into this with the thought in mind that perhaps more than one meeting would be required. So the Secretary in consultation with the White House, decided that there -- another -- one more meeting was merited, so that we could underscore for the Iranian Government directly the importance of their changing behavior, if they truly do want to match their actions with their words. So we'll see. As for what will come out of the meeting, I think that depends on the Iranian Government's reaction."

Previous Stories:
  Iran - US new talks on Iraq; al-Sadr denies visit   (7/9/2007)
  US behavior to Iraqi people, unjust: Iranian official   (7/9/2007)
  Iran holds up US talks on Iraq till clarifications are made   (7/2/2007)

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