Middle East News

Nov 18, 2008, 12:29 GMT

Iraq Foreign Minister: Security deal respects Iran's sovereignty

Baghdad - Iraq has told Iran that its security pact with the US would not threaten Iran's national sovereignty, Iraq's foreign minister said on Tuesday. 'The security agreement has no articles that threaten the security of neighbouring countries,' Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in a statement following his meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hassan Kazemi, according to a ministry statement. 'Iraq will not be used as a base for attacks on neighbouring countries,' Zebari added. Zebari and US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker signed the Status of Forces Agreement in Baghdad on Monday. Iran has opposed the pact, which paves the way for US forces to remain in Iraq until 2011. The agreement sets the timeframe for the withdrawal of US troops and the legal basis for the future presence of US troops in Iraq after a United Nations Security Council mandate expires at the end of this year. More than 140,000 US troops are currently stationed in Iraq. Zebari said that the Iraqi government will send delegates to neighbouring countries to explain the security agreement. Last week Zebari, during a visit to Syria, assured Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem that Iraq will not be used as a base for attacks inside Syria, after the US conducted a commando raid on a Syrian village last month leaving eight civilians dead. Iran and other neighbouring countries fear that the US could conduct similar operations in the future.

And Also

Look Back at the Worst Celebrity Breakups

Look Back at the Worst Celebrity Breakups - PopEater
Google drops public DNS service on the masses - The Tech Herald
Brothers - Cinema Blend
'Scrubs' Star Judy Reyes Has Baby Girl - PopEater
A&E series 'Hoarders' and 'Intervention' premiere Monday, Nov. 30th, preview

Your Talkback on this Story

Similar articles

Official ceremony for late Iraqi Shiite leader to be held Friday
Iran's Ahmadinejad issues condolence message on Hakim's death
Iraqi Shiite leader dies of cancer in Iran (2nd Roundup)
Iraqi Shiite leader dies of cancer in Iran (Roundup)
Iraqi Shiite leader dies of cancer in Iran (1st Lead)

Latest Headlines in Middle East

Older Talkback

Middle East: Index

: News; Features

Latest Pics

Peter Facinelli

Kate Beckinsale

From Sites we Like

Comparative study between men who watch porn and men who have never seen porn fails when researchers are unable to find men who have never seen porn. This was apparently a big surprise to the researchers [Amusing]
Not News: commodity dealer trades 28,000 tons of coal. News: a glitch means he orders 28,000 tons of coal. Fark: they deliver [Fail]

More Not News from Fark

In Monsters and Critics

: Arts; Books; DVD; Gaming; Lifestyle; Movies; Music; News; People; Science & Nature; Sport; TV; Archives
Other Languages and Sites: Deutschland (Monsters and Critics); The Tech Herald; Free Games

Entertainment: Arts; Books; DVD; Gaming; Movies; Music; People; Soundtracks; TV
Media: Celebrity Photos; Movie Pictures; Movie Trailers; Movie Posters; Theatre Stills; Celebrity Video; Music Video
Released this week: Movies - USA; Movies - UK; DVD - USA
Distractions: Online Games; Daily Crossword; Sudoku Classic; Daily Jigsaw

World News: US; UK; Americas; Europe; Middle East; Asia Pacific; South Asia; Africa; Business; Education; Health
Science and Tech: Science and Nature; Technology
Lifestyle: Autos; Fashion; Life; Travel

Corporate

: About; Advertise; Contact; The Team; Vacancies; Privacy; RSS; Site Map; Terms; Webmasters

The Fine Print

© 2003 - 2009 by Monsters and Critics.com, WotR Ltd. All Rights Reserved. All photos are copyright their respective owners and are used under license or with permission. * Note M&C cannot be held responsible for the content on other Web Sites.

Servers supplied by Servint