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Iraqi PM vows not to 'harm' Iran
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Arab World
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By Agencies
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![Al-Maliki is under pressure at home and from Tehran due to a proposal to keep US forces in Iraq [EPA]](http://mwcnews.net/images/stories/Iraq/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/Al-Maliki-I.jpg "Al-Maliki is under pressure at home and from Tehran due to a proposal to keep US forces in Iraq [EPA]") | | Al-Maliki is under pressure at home and from Tehran due to a proposal to keep US forces in Iraq [EPA] |
Iraq's prime minister is in Tehran for talks with Iranian leaders, with a proposed US-Iraq security pact likely to dominate proceedings.
Nuri al-Maliki's third visit to the Iranian capital since he took office two years ago comes amid criticism in Baghdad and Tehran over the planned deal to keep US soldiers in Iraq beyond 2008.
After a late-night meeting with Manouchehr Mottaki, the Iranian foreign minister, late on Sunday, al-Maliki assured Tehran that Iraq would not allow its territory to be used as a platform to "harm" the Islamic republic.
"We will not allow Iraq to become a platform for harming the security of Iran and neighbours," al-Maliki was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying.
Earlier, Ali al-Dabbagh, an Iraqi government spokesman, said al-Maliki will brief Iranian leaders on "the Iraqi vision, which is that it will not serve as a base or staging ground to launch attacks against neighbouring countries".
"The prime minister's visit to Iran is considered a step in a series of visits ... and to form a strategy committee to develop the relationship between the two nations," Last November, al-Maliki reached an agreement in principle with George Bush, US president, to sign a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) by the end of July.
However, the deal has not yet been finalised amid protests in Iraq over the US military’s presence in the country.
'Different vision'
Al-Dabbagh said Iraq has a "different vision" from the US on the proposal to keep American forces in the country past 2008.
Although Iran and Iraq went to war with each other between 1980 and 1988, ties have warmed since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
Al-Maliki's visit is a test for Washington, given that it accuses Tehran of backing Shia Muslim militia groups in Iraq. Tehran has denied the allegations.
Ryan Crocker, US ambassador to Iraq, said on Thursday that Iran and Iraq were neighbours and had to conduct a relationship.
But he said: "The question is: What kind of relationship is it going to be?"
Al-Maliki's visit is also expected to examine economic issues such as oil exports and the supply of electricity and water, his office said.
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Tags: Tehran Nuri al-Maliki Iraqi PM
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