Mar 3, 2008, 14:42 GMT
Baghdad - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad concluded his landmark visit to Iraq Monday with yet another attack on the US and a denial of its accusations that Tehran was supporting and arming Iraqi insurgents.
The Iranian president also declared a new chapter in relations between the two neighbours, cemented by agreements for economic and trade cooperation as well as a one billion-dollar Iranian grant to finance Iraqi projects.
Levelling more accusations against Washington, Ahmadinejad said that before the US invasion of Iraq, the region had never witnessed terrorism.
He accused the US of provoking terrorist groups to get active in Iraq and trying to sow discord between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.
'The world powers whose forces came (to Iraq) should leave the region and let regional governments do their job. Since the occupation, the people of Iraq have seen nothing but destruction and division,' Ahdmadinejad told reporters in Baghdad.
He once again categorically denied US accusations that Iran was supporting and arming Iraqi insurgents, and reiterated that Iran's firm wish was to see peace and stability in Iraq.
Withdrawal of US and other Western forces is the only way to enable regional peace and security, he said.
During the two-day visit, thorny issues were reportedly put on the table, such as security, border, oil, economic and political issues.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani renewed a vow that Iraq would eliminate the Mujahideen Khalq, an Iranian opposition guerrilla group, some of whose members find a safe haven at a US-guarded compound in eastern Iraq.
Kurdish rebel activities launched from bases in northern Iraq were also discussed. The Iranian leader called for cooperation between the three countries concerned - his own, Turkey and Iraq - to cooperate to drive Kurdish rebels from their bases in Iraqi border areas.
The US regards as terrorists anti-Turkish rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) but it does not ascribe the same status to a group linked to PKK, the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan, which launches attacks on Iran.
A contentious border agreement, singed in 1975 by both countries' former regimes, was also discussed. 'Committees from both countries are continuing their work on border issues,' Ahmadinejad said. In January, Talabani had declared the agreement void, raising concerns in Tehran.
Ahmadinejad received warms hugs from Iraqi leaders, especially Kurds and Shiites. But his visit set off protests in Sunni Arab areas, including Fallujah and Baghdad's Sunni-dominated Azamiyah district.
Ahmadinejad had earlier cancelled a visit planned for Monday to Iraq's holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, citing a busy schedule, according to Iraqi al-Sharqiyah TV channel.
Ahmadinejad, had planned to meet the country's highest Shiite religious authority in Najaf - a centre for scholars and a major pilgrimage destination for Shiite Muslims as it is the site of the tomb of Imam Ali, the Prophet Mohammed's cousin.
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