Iran wants Iraqi government to have more authorities: Hosseini

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said today that Iran calls for more authorities to be given to the Iraqi government.

Hosseini made the remarks in an interview with the Vienna-based daily Standard, adding that the occupiers should give more authorities to the Iraqi government.

Pointing to Iran's expectations from negotiations with the US on Iraq security, he noted that the main reason for Baghdad's inability to fight and overcome terrorism is the presence of occupiers in Iraq and the wrong policies of American forces in that country.

"In the negotiations, Iran will call for a timetable for withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraqi territories," he said.

Touching on kidnapping of Iranian diplomats in Iraq and the US accusations about Iran's alleged involvement in violence and instability in Iraq, he underlined that Tehran has never benefited from insecurity and instability in the neighboring country.

Referring to the US occupation of Iraq as the major cause of violence in that country, he said that the Americans have never offered any proof to substantiate Iranian diplomats' involvement in terrorist operations in Iraq, because it would otherwise put such information at the disposal of the mass media.