Presence of foreign forces in Iraq biggest problem – al-Mashhadani

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani said in Tehran that the presence of foreign forces in the country is the biggest problem facing Iraq, while Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani reiterated his country’s support to Iraq. “Iraq’s problems would not be solved as long as alien forces are in the country, he said, adding that the presence of foreign forces in the country is the biggest problem facing Iraq,” Iranian news agency quoted al-Mashhadani as saying on Wednesday during his meeting with Larijani. The Iraqi parliament speaker termed the two sides’ relations as very important and said consolidation of relations between Iran and Iraq would lead to prosperity and stability of the entire region. “Iran and Iraq hold identical views on regional and international developments,” he underlined. The two officials also reviewed the latest regional developments and studied grounds to further bolster bilateral cooperation. For his part, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said that the Islamic Republic of Iran spares no efforts to restore peace and tranquility to the war-shattered Iraq. Larijani welcomed expansion of broad-based relations between the two countries and said there are ample untapped economic potentials which should be explored and Iran is determined to help Iraq attain economic development. Iran’s principled policy is based on helping Iraq attain economic development under a secure and peaceful atmosphere, he said. Referring to the volume of trade exchange between the two countries, he said “Fortunately, the current level of economic cooperation between Iran and Iraq is satisfactory which should be further bolstered.” The proposed security pact between U.S. and Iraq would leave undesirable consequences on Iraq’s sovereignty along with other countries of the region, Larijani said. Mashhadani is in Tehran on a two-day official visit which is taking place at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Ali Larijani. SH (S) 4