IRAQ: Iran urges end to Iraq fighting, says helps U.S - Reuters

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Iran urges end to Iraq fighting, says helps U.S.
Reuters

March 29, 2008

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran called on Saturday for an end to fighting
between Iraqi government forces and Shi'ite Muslim militants to remove
any "pretext" for U.S. troops to stay in Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, himself a Shi'ite, launched a
crackdown against the Mehdi Army militia in the southern Iraqi city of
Basra this week. Fighting has spread and exposed a deep rift within
Iraq's majority Shi'ites.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran does not regard the recent clashes in
Iraq as being in the interest of the people of that country and calls
for a speedy end to the clashes," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad
Ali Hossein said.

Speaking to the official IRNA news agency, he called for the
"continuation of dialogue to find ways of establishing peace,
stability and security".

He added that by avoiding clashes "the people of Iraq take away any
pretext for the continued illegal presence of the occupiers."

Iran, which is overwhelmingly Shi'ite, has seen its influence inside
Iraq grow since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Tehran's sworn
foe, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Iran regularly calls for U.S.
troops to quit Iraq.

Washington accuses Tehran of stoking violence by funding, training and
equipping Iraqi militants. Iran denies this.

U.S. President George W. Bush sought to bolster Maliki in remarks on
Friday and said he wanted to send a "clear message" to Iran that it
could not have its way in the Middle East.

Hosseini earlier dismissed those comments.

"Such statements are baseless, repetitive and boring, and a way of
shirking the occupying (U.S.) government's responsibilities," he said,
according to the state broadcaster.

"Every time America faces a serious security problem in Iraq, instead
of adopting logical policies to resolve the security problem in that
country, it resorts to illogical methods such as levelling accusations
against others," he added.

Iran has stopped tour groups of Iranian pilgrims who usually flock to
Iraq to visit Shi'ite holy sites.

The governor of the southwest Iranian city of Khorramshahr, Mohammad
Reza Amolazadeh, told IRNA on Saturday the Shalamsheh border crossing,
near Basra, had been closed until further notice "due to security
problems".