Arab League Chief Calls for Talks with Iran over Iraq’s Future

Arab League Chief Amr Moussa on Sunday called for talks between Arab countries and Iran over Iraq.“There should be a consensus between the Arabs and Iran over Iraq,” Moussa told reporters after a meeting of Arab diplomats. “Iran and the Arabs should be on one side.”

Last week, Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned that a power vacuum is imminent in Iraq and said that Iran was ready to help fill the gap. He suggested cooperation with “regional friends like Saudi Arabia.”

Ahmadinejad did not elaborate on how Iran could fill a power gap but his remarks appeared to reflect Iran’s insistence on the need for the US withdrawal from the war-torn neighbor, Iraq.

The United States has accused Iran of being behind attacks on US troops in Iraq – a claim both Iranian and Iraqi governments have strongly rejected.