Iran rejected U.S. claims that Tehran was interfering in Iraq and said on Thursday it was not seeking to promote the political role of fellow Shi'ite Muslims in its western neighbor.
Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi told Thursday a news conference in Tehran: "Naturally the majority of Iraq is Shi'ite but we are not insisting on (the role of the) Shi'ites. "For us, Shi'ites, Sunnis, Turks and Arabs are the same and everybody should play their role in a democratic Iraq," he said.
U.S. Central Command in Qatar said Marines had this week started patrols on the parts of the border with Iran to "maintain Iraqi territorial integrity."
Central Command in Qatar said the border patrols had started on Monday. "We have a large area to cover," said Major Steve Greco. "We plan to screen the full length of the Wasit Province- Iran border," he said referring to the province around Kut.
It said the Marines would search and interview all people attempting to enter and leave Iraq through Iran.
"This is nothing new. U.S. and British forces have been near our borders since the start of the war in Iraq and our red lines are our borders," said Kharrazi.
Kharrazi said Washington should spend less time accusing Iraq's neighbors of interfering in the war-torn country and concentrate instead on working with them to rebuild Iraq.
"It is interesting that the United States has occupied Iraq and is now accusing Iraq's neighbors of interfering in Iraq's internal affairs," Kharrazi said. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
