Posted on 03/10/2007 4:35:11 PM PST by blam
Iran tells US to set timetable for Iraq exit
By Colin Freeman in Baghdad, Sunday Telegraph
Last Updated: 12:24am GMT 11/03/2007
Iranian officials last night demanded a timetable for US troop withdrawal from Iraq as they attended a rare meeting with American diplomats in Baghdad.
Iran's deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi
The conference was aimed at stopping Iraq being used as a sectarian battleground by Sunni and Shia neighbours. Iran has been accused of funding Shia death squads in the Iraqi capital and smuggling in roadside bomb technology that allows insurgents to kill coalition troops.
Yesterday's conference, attended by all of Iraq's neighbours, backed plans for further meetings next month to set up working groups to discuss problems over border security and refugees.
The US ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, made it clear that Iraq's neighbours, including Syria and Iran, had to stop encouraging or ignoring influxes of insurgent and sectarian fighters. "Iraq's neighbours can only be counted as providing 'true and honest' support to Iraq's stability if they act decisively to halt the flow of fighters, weapons and other lethal support to militias and other illegal armed groups, and cease sectarian rhetoric and other propaganda that could incite violence," he said.
Iraqi foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari described the discussion between the US, Iran and Syria as "a lively exchange" and said it had been constructive.
The British ambassador, Dominic Asquith, said it had been a positive meeting.
But Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, Abbas Araghchi, used the occasion to accuse the international forces in Iraq of playing a double game.
"It will help resolve the problem of violence if they set a timetable for withdrawal of their troops from Iraq," he said. He condemned attacks on religious places and gatherings five days after a double suicide attack on a crowd of Shia pilgrims killed at least 117 Iraqis in the central city of Hilla.
The meeting was a "test" of whether the United States was serious in trying to solve Iraq's problems. "Teheran stands ready to help bring peace and stability to Iraq," he said. Earlier, Mr Khalilzad and Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, had called on neighbouring countries to halt the supply of weapons and recruits to sectarian armed groups fighting in Iraq.
Mr Khalilzad urged other world powers to do more to help Iraq and, in an apparent reference to Iranian demands for the release of five of their citizens detained in Iraq earlier this year, said the US would continue to act against foreign interference.
Mr Maliki warned that Iraq's growing sectarian bloodshed could spill across the Middle East. He told the conference: "The future of Iraq and the Middle East is the defining issue of our time."
The threat posed by the insurgency was spelled out a few minutes later when three mortar rounds detonated next to the foreign ministry, where the conference was being held, and a bomber slammed a truck laden with explosives into an army checkpoint at the entrance to Sadr City, two miles away, killing at least 26 people.
Great minds think alike /s
See? The Iranian regime isn't a dictatorship! It's led by Democrats!
Iranian officials last night demanded
Go F*** yourself you Islamofascist madmen! You are not in the position to DEMAND anything from us!
(My head just exploded)
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US Tells Iran to Shove off (hopefully)
Sad, isn't it.
You said what I was thinking. F them and f the demonrats!
The democrats say that they don't want to lose any more of our service men and women in a pointless war.
I'm sure Iran wants the same thing for the same reason, right?
Tell them two years after Iran turns into a Republic.
"Iranian officials last night demanded a timetable for US troop withdrawal from Iraq as they attended a rare meeting with American diplomats in Baghdad"
Well, Pelosi-Reid got their marching orders..
Damn this is disgusting....
Yeah, a couple of months - then they will see if Pelosi/Reid report any progress for them...
Well said!
LOL! Nancy Pelosi Ahmedinijad
The mullahs must subscribe to the NYT. I wonder if that could be considered aiding and abetting? ;)
I'm sure Bush and the Democrats will be more than happy to accomodate the Iranian demands.
Neal Cavuto had it right back in 2004 when he joked that he thought he saw a Kerry for President button on Usama bin Laden during his pre election speech.
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