Iraq Rejects Iran’s Troop Proposal, Says “Mind You Own Business”
Baghdad, Nov 6, (VOI) – The Iraqi government announced its rejection of a recent Iranian proposal for troops from Iraq’s neighboring countries to replace the Multi-National Force (MNF) in Iraq, an official government spokesman said on Tuesday.
“The Iraqi government…rejects the plan proposed by the Iranian Foreign Ministry,” Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
“The points proposed by the Iranian government are part of the Iraqi government’s areas of concern,” read the statement, adding, “The Iraqi government does not authorize others to speak on behalf of the Iraqi people.”
During a high-level gathering of Iraq’s neighbors and world powers in Istanbul on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki suggested that a coalition from Iran, Syria and other Arab countries take over from the U.S.-led MNF in the war-torn Iraq.
Rejecting all forms of regional interference in Iraq’s internal affairs, al-Dabbagh said that the Iraqi government seeks to establish state institutions through which Iraqis can practice their right to build a democracy and a federal Iraq.
Iraq reminds its neighboring countries of their commitments to back the political process in Iraq and not to interfere in its domestic affairs, the spokesman added.
Earlier today, the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS), the largest Sunni organization in Iraq, condemned the Iranian proposal and termed neighboring countries’ rejection of the idea as “gratefully positive.”
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sounds like a diplomatic f*ck you
November 6th, 2007 at 7:17 amYeah, I’m sure Iran and Syria would love to take over providing “security” in Iraq. Now, watch Hillary and the Ds make positive noises about the offer. Or maybe they’re not q u i t e that stupid.
November 6th, 2007 at 11:42 pm