BATMAN
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US Troops in Iraq âTerroristsâ: Iran
Agencies â
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, 5 May 2007 â Iran and the United States dashed hopes of a major breakthrough at an international conference convened to stabilize war-torn Iraq when they held only mid-level talks yesterday.
The two-day meeting, however, wrapped up after a marked improvement in Washingtonâs strained relations with Iranâs traditional Syrian allies, signaling an apparent shift of US policy in the region.
Speculation had mounted since Thursdayâs start of the conference in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice could hold historic talks with her Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki.
But at a meeting designed to enhance international cooperation on Iraqi security, Mottaki described US troops as âterroristsâ and lashed out at Washington over the continued detention of Iranian officials seized in January. âTo create a safe haven for those terrorists who try to turn Iraqi territory into a base for attacking Iraqâs neighbors should be condemned,â the Iranian foreign minister said.
US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said he met a deputy foreign minister of Iran but played down the event. âIt was very limited, very short and it was on Iraq,â he told reporters.
Rice for her part pointed out that a meeting at the same level had already taken place in March while Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari was more upbeat, stressing that the meeting was a âpositive sign.â
The final statement on yesterdayâs security meeting reaffirmed all participantsâ desire to âcombat terrorist activities and prevent the use of their territory for supplying, organizing and launching terrorist operations.â âThe participants agreed to... welcome offers by Arab and other countries to support the development of the professional capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces,â said the statement.
Iraqâs neighbors and key international players called for the speedy transfer of security responsibilities but did not call for a withdrawal timetable.
The participants pledged to ârenew their support for the government of Iraqâs efforts to accelerate the preparedness of its armed forces to assume full security and defense responsibilities in their country.â The communiqué added that such a process âwill pave the way for the conclusion of the mandate of the multinational forces, whose presence will not be open-ended.â
It added that ending the coalition forcesâ presence in Iraq would come âupon the request of and in accordance with timing to be agreed by the government of Iraq.â
Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has invited the prime movers behind an Arab Middle East peace plan to join a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on May 14. He invited foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Qatar as well as Arab League chief Amr Moussa
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=95830&d=5&m=5&y=2007
Agencies â
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, 5 May 2007 â Iran and the United States dashed hopes of a major breakthrough at an international conference convened to stabilize war-torn Iraq when they held only mid-level talks yesterday.
The two-day meeting, however, wrapped up after a marked improvement in Washingtonâs strained relations with Iranâs traditional Syrian allies, signaling an apparent shift of US policy in the region.
Speculation had mounted since Thursdayâs start of the conference in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice could hold historic talks with her Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki.
But at a meeting designed to enhance international cooperation on Iraqi security, Mottaki described US troops as âterroristsâ and lashed out at Washington over the continued detention of Iranian officials seized in January. âTo create a safe haven for those terrorists who try to turn Iraqi territory into a base for attacking Iraqâs neighbors should be condemned,â the Iranian foreign minister said.
US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker said he met a deputy foreign minister of Iran but played down the event. âIt was very limited, very short and it was on Iraq,â he told reporters.
Rice for her part pointed out that a meeting at the same level had already taken place in March while Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari was more upbeat, stressing that the meeting was a âpositive sign.â
The final statement on yesterdayâs security meeting reaffirmed all participantsâ desire to âcombat terrorist activities and prevent the use of their territory for supplying, organizing and launching terrorist operations.â âThe participants agreed to... welcome offers by Arab and other countries to support the development of the professional capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces,â said the statement.
Iraqâs neighbors and key international players called for the speedy transfer of security responsibilities but did not call for a withdrawal timetable.
The participants pledged to ârenew their support for the government of Iraqâs efforts to accelerate the preparedness of its armed forces to assume full security and defense responsibilities in their country.â The communiqué added that such a process âwill pave the way for the conclusion of the mandate of the multinational forces, whose presence will not be open-ended.â
It added that ending the coalition forcesâ presence in Iraq would come âupon the request of and in accordance with timing to be agreed by the government of Iraq.â
Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has invited the prime movers behind an Arab Middle East peace plan to join a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels on May 14. He invited foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Qatar as well as Arab League chief Amr Moussa
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=4§ion=0&article=95830&d=5&m=5&y=2007
