US-Iraq pact seeks to enable 'pillage': Ahmadinejad

NUKEWARS

Iran says it opposes any pact that acts against Iraqi interests
Iranian Interior Minister Ali Kordan said on Thursday that Tehran opposes any document that threatens Iraqi interests, in an apparent reference to a draft Washington-Baghdad security pact. "Iran opposes any document that goes against the will of Iraqis and their leadership," Kordan told a meeting in Jordan of interior ministers of war-ravaged Iraq's neighbours. "Iran opposes any document that would threaten Iraq's interests." He did not elaborate, but was apparently referring to a draft security accord on the long-term presence of American troops in Iraq beyond 2008. "We believe that the Iraqi people must remain strong enough to take their own decisions in line with their interests. Iran will support any document that is accepted by the Iraqis," Kordan said. "The American troops must leave Iraq unconditionally and in accordance with a timetable," he added. The draft deal calls for US combat forces to withdraw by the end of 2011 and includes US concessions on jurisdiction over its troops accused of "serious crimes" while off duty or off base. "Any decision about the accord on the presence of US troops in Iraq will be a purely Iraqi decision," Iraqi Interior Minister Jawad Bolani told reporters before the meeting. The interior ministers of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey held closed-door talks on boosting the exchange of intelligence information as well as cooperating on border controls and fighting extremism. Baghdad has accused neighbouring states of interfering in its internal affairs, and Washington has called for a halt to the flow of militants and weapons into Iraq. But Bolani also said "security cooperation and coordination between Iraq and its neighbours has become better." A closing statement said Iraq and its neighbours agreed to "work together to enhance Iraq's security, stability and unity" and "stressed the need to fight terrorism. "All necessary measures should be taken to tighten border controls and prevent terrorists from using the territories of Iraq and neighbouring states for any activities related to terrorism," it said.

by Staff Writers
Tehran (AFP) Oct 23, 2008
The draft US-Iraq security accord aims to keep Iraq weak to help the United States "pillage" the country, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday.

"The Americans have shown that they do not respect any agreement and, if their interests require it, they are ready to sacrifice their closest friends," he was quoted by state news agency IRNA as saying.

"They do not distinguish among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. They want to prevent the creation of a strong and powerful Iraq, the better to pillage the country," Ahmadinejad said.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reacted by saying Iraq does not need interference from Iran.

"I think the Iraqis can defend their interests without the Iranians, thank you very much," she told a news conference in Mexico.

"What the Iranians were doing was arming special groups in the south who were killing innocent Iraqis. So frankly I don't take these comments very seriously."

Ahmadinejad made his remarks during a visit by Massud Barzani, leader of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq. Barzani has defended the agreement, saying it is better than the status quo.

Other Iranian leaders joined Ahmadinejad in denouncing the proposed pact, including parliament speaker Ali Larijani and Interior Minister Ali Kordan.

"The Americans' aim was to make sure the Iraqi government is second rate. This is why Iraqi public figures do not defend the agreement and have expressed reservations," Larijani said in comments reported by Mehr news agency.

He criticised a clause in the deal which shields American military personnel from Iraqi justice if they commit crimes on their bases or while on a mission.

"It is a capitulation," he said, comparing the pact with an agreement signed by the United States and the former Iranian imperial regime, which was ferociously denounced by the Shah's opponents.

Kordan, speaking in Amman at a meeting of interior ministers of war-ravaged Iraq's neighbours, said Tehran opposes any document that threatens Iraqi interests.

"Iran opposes any document that goes against the will of Iraqis and their leadership," he said. "Iran opposes any document that would threaten Iraq's interests."

Meanwhile, Grand Ayatollah Kazem al-Hosseini al-Haeri, a senior Shiite religious figure said to be the mentor of fiercely anti-American Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, denounced the draft accord as "humiliating" for Iraq.

"We are aware of the pressures from the occupying forces on the Iraqi government to sign the humiliating security agreement... We know that this agreement will lead to loss of sovereignty and humiliation" for Iraqis, he said in a statement carried by IRNA.

Iran-born Haeri moved to Iraq and became one of the leaders of the Shiite Al-Dawa party before being forced into exile in the 1970s. Since then he has lived in the Iranian holy town of Qom.

"In earlier statements we already said this agreement is 'haram'," something banned by Islam, Haeri said.

Sadr, reputed to be living in Iran, strongly opposes the US presence in Iraq and has consistently opposed the deal since it was proposed last year.

Baghdad on Tuesday said it wants to modify the draft final agreement, which took months to negotiate and which projects the complete withdrawal of US troops by the end of 2011.

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NUKEWARS

Iranian Pilots Show Off Dogfighting Skills In War Games

Tehran, Iran (RIA Novosti) Oct 21, 2008
The Iranian Air Force started on Friday large scale combat drills in the northwest of the country with simulated dogfights, the IAF press service said in a statement.

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