By IRNA,
Tehran : President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Wednesday that the UN should strive more to settle regional and international conflicts.
In a meeting with the UN chief’s new special envoy for Iraq affairs Stephen de Mistura, President Ahmadinejad expressed hope that the UN envoy’s efforts will lead to restoration of peace, stability, security and integrity to Iraq.
He said the occupiers’ presence in Iraq has been cause of many plights in the country.
“The solution to the problem is the occupiers’ leaving Iraq on a timetable,” he added.
The President went on to say that Iraqi government has a grave role to restore peace and security in Iraq.
“If the Iraqi government gets powerful, it can solve problems of the country better than before,” he said.
He noted that all should help Iraq be united and remain cohesive.
“No one benefits from tension and war in Iraq and to this end, maintaining Iraqi government’s strength is the main condition for the country’s national unity and integrity,” he announced.
Thanking all regional countries’ contribution to restoration of stability and security in Iraq, President Ahmadinejad said independent and developed Iraq will be to the benefit of whole the region.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes all regional countries’ efforts for promotion of bilateral and multilateral friendship,” he announced.
He added that Iranian nation and government have been maintaining age-old and firm relations with Iraqi government and nation and they will continue to help consolidation of national unity, progress and security there.
He underlined the need for the UN to help solve Iraq problems.
“Though the UN was a little behind incidents in the beginning of Iraq occupation, but the UN Chief is eager to play more constructive role in Iraq,” he said.
Thanking the UN envoy’s kind efforts in Iraq, President Ahmadinejad said the envoy’s presence has provided a good chance to restore the UN prestige in connection with Iraq because the UN image to be improved.
De Misural for his part thanked Iran’s humanitarian efforts in Iraq case and hoped that the UN will in cooperation with regional states, including Iran, further guarantee security and peace in Iraq.
Earlier, Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani told De Mistura that Iran’s policy is based on supporting Iraq’s independence and respecting Iraqi people’s right to decide their own fate.
“To solve Iraq problem, Iraqi people and national leaders should be trusted and their country’s sovereignty should be returned to them.
Americans refusal to allow the Iraqi people to administer their own affairs might lead to a confrontation,” Larijani further told de Mistura.
He said Iraq’s security and stability are highly important for the region. “Iraq’s security will have an stabilizing effect under present conditions in the region,” he added.
He said that occupiers’ presence in Iraq and Afghanistan has provided a pretext for terrorist groups to continue their activities.
“The refusal of US forces to leave Iraq is detrimental to the US and a cause of tension in the region,” he added.
The Iranian speaker said that since security and general conditions have improved in Iraq, it is time to remove Iraq from chapter 7 of the UN Charter.
Larijani said Iranian and Iraqi nations are strongly and historically linked with each other due to their religious commonality and geographical proximity.
He said Iran’s policy will continue to be in support of reconstruction of Iraqi economic and industrial centers and restoration of stability and calm to Iraq.
De Mistura, for his part, termed Iran as a highly important neighbor of Iraq, saying that assistance of regional countries especially Iran have been highly influential in improvement of Iraq security and its economic conditions.
He said the UN welcomes contribution of regional states, especially Iran to promotion of security in Iraq.
The UN envoy then briefed Larijani on conditions in Kirkuk, law on oil and elections in Iraq.