Iran denies fuelling insurgency

Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi rejected claims that his country is undermining security in Iraq.

Earlier this month, Iraqi defence minister Hazem al-Shaalan said Iran was Iraq's "first enemy" because it was playing a role in the insurgency.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi later distanced his government from the remark.

Mr Kharrazi rejected Mr al-Shaalan's claim, saying "from the outset Iran has tried to help Iraq overcome its problems.

Iraqi human rights minister Bakhtiyar Amin said on July 12 that his government had 99 foreign fighters in detention, including 26 Syrians, 14 Saudis, 14 Iranians, 12 Egyptians, nine Sudanese, five Palestinians, five Yemenis, five Jordanians, five Tunisians, one Lebanese, one Moroccan, one Turk and one Afghan.

Iran, a Shiite Muslim country with close ties to Iraq's majority Shiite population, is suspected of using money to influence the political field in Iraq.

The Iranian government has denied interfering in Iraq, including allowing money transfers.

It says it does not allow fighters to cross into Iraq, but it does not rule out that such people might cross the long border illegally.

Here's a more believable article:

http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/

Saturday, July 31, 2004

Iraqi border patrols arrested 60 Afghanis as they were trying to enter Iraq illegally 80 km south of Basra. Spokeman of the Iraqi Border Guards said that "Only 16 of them were carrying passports" He added, "They were not armed"

(Azzaman)

Spokeman of the ministry of internal affairs said that infiltrators will be dealt with firmly and they may face long years in prison.

(Al Sabah)

Does the Iranian government really think that anyone will believe that hundreds of foreigners and thousands of Iranians pass the Iranian-Iraqi borders without their knowledge? And some of those traverse the whole country! It seems that the Iranian government is no longer afraid or concerned that their support for terrorism in Iraq may be obvious. Maybe they think because Iraqis are not willing to go for another war and because America is busy in Iraq and may not be able to take very aggressive actions against them, that they can go on with their filthy plan of destroying Iraq without being punished or stopped?

I think they’re playing a very dangerous game and pushing their luck, as such actions cannot go unquestioned and when combined with their refusal to stop Uranium enrichment, it’s hard to believe that the world (Even the European countries that have good relations with Iran) will leave those mad mullahs alone.

Iraqis are far from being ready to face such a threat, as the Iraqi army is still under training and it lacks necessary weapons plus that Iraqis in general totally reject the idea of going to war again despite what the Iraqi defence minister said lately about Iran as he described them as Iraq's 1st enemy (although this is how most Iraqis feel). Still we can't sit and watch those mad mullahs destroy our dreams and frankly I think Iraqis will be very glad to give all the needed support if the free world decided to take serious actions against Iranian regime if they continue with their destructive atittude.

However I think the best we can do now is to continue watching the borders and try to convince the Iranians that their policy will bring serious harm to both Iraq and Iran, hoping that these mullahs are not as insane as they seem to be. I really don't like to think about the consequences of diplomatic failure here, as it's very scary even if we win.

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