Iraqi premier meets with Iranian leaders (3rd Roundup)

Oct 18, 2010, 23:26 GMT

Tehran/Basra, Iraq - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Monday expressed support for a 'united and independent' Iraq in a rare meeting with Iraq's premier, Nuri al-Maliki.

It was the clearest indication of support to al-Maliki, who arrived in Tehran Monday for a day of talks with Iranian officials on a range of issues including the current political stalemate in Baghdad since the March 7 elections.

In his discussions with Ahmadinejad, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi, al-Maliki reportedly discussed his bid for a second term in office against the Sunni-backed bloc of former prime minister Iyad Allawi.

Ahmadinejad told al-Maliki he hoped that after a new government had been formed, 'the ruins in Iraq will be restored and welfare returned to the people,' according to Fars news agency.

'Iran welcomes a united, powerful and independent Iraq and will support the country in every possible way,' Ahmadinejad said.

'Brotherly bonds between the regional states cannot only enable them to run their countries by themselves but also make the region undefeatable,' he said.

In Washington, US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said: 'We understand that Iran and Iraq are neighbours. They have to have a relationship. But we certainly think that Iran can be a better neighbour by respecting Iraqi sovereignty and ending its support to those who use violence in Iraq.'

Khamenei, who has the final say on all state affairs according to the constitution, called on Iraq to speed up the formation of its new government 'in order to strengthen the country's security and start the reconstruction process.'

Crowley said the US would want 'to see Iran ... play a constructive role in the region. We obviously have a lengthy list of concerns about Iran's behaviour ... not the least of which its direct support of terrorism groups and its nuclear ambition.'

Shiite Iran favours al-Maliki's Shiite alliance, but has shown itself to be open to any Iraqi government that could return peace and stability to Iraq.

'Iraq is safer than before but there is still insecurity, part of which is due to the presence of world powers there,' Khamenei said. 'May God make the United States get out of Iraq as soon as possible and put an end to the people's problems.'

In his meetings, al-Maliki said Iraq needed the cooperation of all neighbouring countries in its development process and expected Iran to have a bigger role in this regard.

Meanwhile, Iranian television confirmed that a meeting also took place between al-Maliki and Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Tehran.

'Arrangements were made before al-Maliki left for Tehran for a meeting with Muqtada al-Sadr to discuss the process of forming the new Iraqi government,' Hashim al-Mussawi, the secretary general of al-Maliki's Islamic Dawa Party, told the German Press Agency dpa.

The Iran-based al-Sadr and his followers, who won 40 seats in the Iraqi elections, have announced that they support al-Maliki's bid for another term in office, although for months prior to that they had declared their opposition to his nomination.

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