Iran sees US as responsible in the Iraq-Turkey crisis
Iraq-Iran, Politics, 11/6/2007

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini yesterday called for settlement of the existing crisis between Turkey and Iraq through diplomacy.

Addressing foreign and domestic reporters during his weekly press briefing, he stressed that Tehran believes the crisis should be settled through peaceful and diplomatic means. He added that the two sides are pursuing diplomatic consultations at various levels.

"We believe that Ankara-Baghdad security talks will help find an appropriate solution to the problem," he added.

There are several reports confirming that certain terrorist groups are trained by the Americans and even some of their leaders have had meetings with American officials inside and outside Iraq, Hosseini announced.

The NY Times had reported that "Iraqi officials asked for Iran’s help on Wednesday in negotiating a diplomatic solution to the standoff with Turkey."

The US, as the occupier of Iraq, should be the first one to provide the Iraqi security, he said, adding, "Washington should not provide a chance for the terrorist groups to launch attacks against neighboring states." Hosseini added that Tehran's comprehensive plan to help resolve Iraqi crisis, presented to Istanbul conference, was not put for voting.

The Istanbul Expanded Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Neighboring Countries of Iraq was held in the Turkish city on November 3.

Foreign ministers of Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain participated in the meeting as well as the five permanent member states of the United Nations Security Council and the G8 member states.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was also present in the conference during which Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki introduced a plan to help ease the critical situation in Iraq.

"We officially presented comprehensive plan during the conference and asked others to put forward their ideas about it," Hosseini told reporters at his weekly press conference.

He stressed that the plan was "based on three security, political and economic dimensions." "As for the security dimension, the plan calls for setting a timetable for withdrawal of occupiers," Hosseini said adding that until completion of the occupying forces withdrawal from Iraq, the Iraqi government should be empowered to administer state affairs and any military missions should require a request from the Iraqi government.

The proposed plan, calls for serious campaign against destructive activities of various terrorist groups acting in Iraq on a systematic basis, Hosseini said.

He added that the plan also calls for expulsion of the terrorist group from Iraq and taking necessary measures to control them to boost security in the border areas.

Iranian plan, put forward to Istanbul conference on Iraq, has not proposed replacement of US forces with troops from Iran, Syria or any other country Hosseini said on Monday. US President George W. Bush yesterday pledged to increase US intelligence-sharing and security cooperation with Turkey to confront terrorists from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), following a recent deadly series of PKK cross-border attacks from northern Iraq.

Previous Stories:
  Iran, Iraq urge settlement of Iraq-Turkey border tension   (10/30/2007)
  PKK terrorist moves from northern Iraq condemned   (10/30/2007)
  Mottaki: US is aware of consequences of military attacks on Iran   (10/23/2007)

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