Rafsanjani: Dialogue key to resolving Iraqi regional
issues
May 8, 2007
Tehran, -- Iraqi Kurdistan Regional
Government Prime Minister Nechirvan Idris Barzani
met with Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi
Rafsanjani to discuss regional developments here on
Sunday.
Rafsanjani said that negotiations are the best way
to resolve regional issues, especially in Iraq.
He strongly condemned the relentless waves of
terrorist bombings in Iraq that have claimed the
lives of many innocent Iraqis and said that the
Iraqis should not ignore the enemies’ capabilities.
They always devise more destructive plans after
being defeated in order to spark sectarian
conflicts, he warned. |
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister
Nechirvan Barzani. |
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The Islamic Republic of Iran and the country's
private sector are ready to share their invaluable
experiences in manufacturing, the oil and
petrochemical industries, road construction, energy,
and agriculture with the Iraqi government and
nation, he said.
Barzani praised the Islamic Republic of Iran for the
assistance it provided to the Iraqi nation, and
especially to the Kurdish population of Iraq, both
before and after the fall of Iraqi dictator Saddam
Hussein.
He expressed hope that Iran's private sector would
play a more active role in the reconstruction of
Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan in particular.
The Iraqi delegation, which also attended the
meeting, gave a brief report on political and
economic developments in Iraqi Kurdistan.
Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan share views on expansion of
ties: interior minister
Iran and the Iraqi Kurdistan region have common
views on expanding ties and beginning a new era of
relations, Interior Minister Mostafa Purmohammadi
said here on Sunday.
The level of cooperation between Iran and Iraqi
Kurdistan is appropriate, but still does not meet
expectations, Purmohammadi told reporters at a joint
news conference with Barzani.
“We have five border provinces (with Iraq) and three
of them share borders with the (Iraqi) Kurdistan
region, and the security of the borders is one of
our most important concerns,” Purmohammadi noted.
Barzani said that the Islamic Republic had always
helped the Iraqis, and especially the people of
Iraqi Kurdistan, in difficult situations.
“Iran’s security is our security, and Iran has
always been a good neighbor of (Iraqi) Kurdistan,”
he stated.
“We will not allow any hostile act to be committed
against Iran from the land of (Iraqi) Kurdistan
under any circumstances,
and we are prepared to allay any possible concerns,”
he added.
Barzani went on to say that Iraqi Kurdistan welcomes
Iranian investors in the fields of industry, energy,
and tourism. On the five Iranian diplomats who were
captured by U.S. troops in Irbil, Iraqi Kurdistan on
January 11, he said, “We made the utmost efforts to
help obtain their release… There is no reason to
hold them, and we call for their prompt release.”
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