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Kurdistan: Iranian consulates in Erbil and
Sulaimaniyah re-opened 6.11.2007
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November
6, 2007
Erbil-Hewler, Kurdistan region 'Iraq', --
Ceremonies to re-open the Iranian consulates in
Erbil and Sulaimaniyah took place on Tuesday in
Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan
Region, in the presence of the region's Prime
Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Iran's ambassador in
Baghdad Hassan Kazemi Qomi.
Speaking on the occasion, Barzani said "the two
consulates will offer facilities for citizens of the
region wishing to visit Iran or develop trade
relations between the two countries," extending
thanks to Iran over re-inauguration of its two
consulates.
U.S. forces had retained five staff of the Iranian
consulate in Erbil on charges of offering assistance
for armed groups in Iraq.
Iran's government then argued that they were
diplomats but the United States denied this.
"We had two consulates in Erbil and Sulaimaniyah but
unfortunately the U.S. forces arrested five
personnel from our consulate in Erbil and are still
under custody," said Qomi, terming the arrests as
"illegal and ran counter to Iraq's sovereignty."
www.ekurd.net
"We wish the detainees would be released soon so
that they return to their jobs in the consulate. The
re-opening of those two consulates was in
coordination with the central Iraqi government and
the Iraqi Kurdistan region's government," Qomi
said.
The Iranian diplomat called on Arab countries to
open their consulates in Iraq.
Meanwhile, the US military said on Tuesday it will
release nine Iranians detained in Iraqi Kurdistan in
recent months on suspicion of aiding the
anti-American insurgency and helping Shiite
militias.
US military spokesman Rear Admiral Gregory Smith
told reporters that the nine would be released in
the coming days as they no longer posed a threat to
security in Iraq.
www.ekurd.net
US forces detained five Iranians in January in a
raid in a building in the Kurdish city of Erbil, the
capital of Kurdistan region, accusing them of aiding
the deadly insurgency in Iraq, although Tehran
insisted they were diplomats.
Another Iranian was seized by US forces in Kurdistan
region in Iraq in September, suspected of being a
member of the Quds Force, the covert operations arm
of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards which is
accused by US commanders of helping Shiite militias
in Iraq.
VOI | AP
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