Iran promises Iraq full help in gaining peace, stability (Roundup)

Jan 3, 2009, 14:52 GMT

Tehran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday promised visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki Iran's full help in enabling Iraq to gain peace and stability, ISNA news agency reported.

'What is important for Iran is Iraq's dignity, independence, stability, peace and progress,' Ahmadinejad said in a meeting with al-Maliki who arrived in Tehran earlier Saturday for talks with senior Iranian officials.

'It is Iran's Islamic and humanitarian duty to stand besides the Iraqi nation,' the Iranian president added.

The Iraqi premier, who also plans to meet with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was expected to discuss with Ahmadinejad the security pact signed last month between Iraq and the United States.

'We are certain that with the wisdom of the Iraqi leaders, the country would soon reach an optimal status,' Ahmadinejad said while referring to the pact.

Iran wants the US forces to withdraw from Iraq even earlier that scheduled in the pact - withdraw from Iraqi cities by the end of June 2009 and from the rest of the country by the end of 2011 - and leave all state affairs to the Iraqi government.

ISNA quoted al-Maliki as saying that 'Iraq was optimistic towards the future trend of relations with Iran' and hoping that bilateral cooperation would be to the interest of both states.

Also the Iranian president hoped that the two states would soon boost their bilateral trade volume.

Iran and Iraq have reportedly inked 110 documents on cooperation in political, economic, cultural and commercial fields but it is unclear which one of them have already been implemented.

Iran's ambassador to Baghdad, Hossein Kazemi-Qomi, told ISNA that the two sides would therefore follow up all bilateral agreements inked in the recent years.

Kazemi-Qomi added that Iraq would also like to avail itself of Iran's experience in post-war reconstruction.

Iran and Iraq were involved in a war from 1980-1988 which devastated vast parts of Iran's border region in the south-west. Most parts have been reconstructed but in some provinces, such as Ilam, the signs of war are still visible.

The two officials are also believed to have talked about US policy in Iraq under the incoming administration of president-elect Barack Obama.