Iran Wants To Know When It Can Invade Iraq
Iran tells US to set timetable for Iraq exit
Iranian officials last night demanded a timetable for US troop withdrawal from Iraq as they attended a rare meeting with American diplomats in Baghdad.
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.
Anyone who thinks Iran and Syria are there to help should just go jump off a bridge. Those two countries could have great influence on ending the fighting if they really wanted too. Iran stands to gain quite a bit if we pull out of Iraq too soon. Syria would gain something too since they Iran's 'woman'.
