By Xinhua
Tehran : Iran Saturday called on Iraqi government forces and Shiite militias to stop ongoing fighting, saying it could offer “pretext” for the U.S. troops to stay in Iraq, the official IRNA news agency reported.
“Iran does not regard the recent clashes in Iraq as being in the interest of the people of that country,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini was quoted as saying, calling for “a speedy end to the clashes.”
Hosseini also said the continued fighting in Iraq only serves “the interests of the occupiers”, urging Iraqi people to avoid any conflict and help restore security in the country and do not give any pretext to occupiers to continue their presence in the country.
“Peace, stability and security in Iraq should be restored through negotiations in the war ravaged country,” he stressed.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, himself a Shiite, launched a massive offensive early this week in the southern city of Basra against militants of the Mahdi Army led by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
As clashes between Iraqi security troops and Shiite militiamen showed few signs to wind down, Maliki vowed to stamp out the “criminals” and ordered the militants to surrender by April 8, showing his determination to fight to the end.
U.S. President George W. Bush showed his support for Maliki over the Iraqi offensive Friday and said he wanted to send a “clear message” to Tehran that it could not have its way in the Mideast.
Hosseini immediately rejected Bush’s comments, saying “such claims are baseless, repeated and boring, and a way of shirking the occupying (U.S.) government’s responsibilities.”
He said the U.S. president’s claims should be interpreted as “evasion” of ongoing Iraq realities as the U.S. politicians have never been ready to accept them, adding the occupying forces are “main source” of turbulence in Iraq.
The U.S. has repeatedly accused Tehran of supporting Iraqi insurgents to fight against coalition forces and Iraqi security forces, but Iran denied by saying Washington was trying to find excuses for its failed policy in the Mideast.