Eurasia Press & News
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that the fourth round of talks between Iran and the US over his country would be held in the near future.Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) ministerial meeting on ‘Human Rights and Cultural Diversity’ here in Tehran on Monday, Zebari underlined that Iran-US talks render much help to Iraq’s stability.
“The next round of talks will be held and you will witness the tangible results of these talks,” he stressed.
Elsewhere, the Iraqi foreign minister expressed the hope that the five kidnapped Iranian diplomats would be released. The five Iranian nationals are mission staffers abducted during a raid by the US troops on Iran’s consulate general in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil last January.
Asked about his country’s stance on the US interventions in Iraq’s internal affairs, Zebari said, “We do not allow any country, even the US, to interfere in Iraq’s domestic affairs.”
He reminded that Nuri al-Maliki’s administration is a democratic government facing many challenges, and said that the Baghdad government has been elected through a legal and democratic process and has remained democratic despite the certain pressures it is experiencing.
Elsewhere, the Iraqi top diplomat called on Turkey to stop bombardment and military operations in the two countries’ border areas, saying that brotherly relations of the two countries do not deserve such measures.
He also reminded that the bombardments have caused displacement of a number of Iraqi citizens and have incurred some losses and damages on their possessions and assets.
Asked why none of the US officials have yet been tried for the savage treatment of prisoners in the Abu Ghraib Prison, Zebari said, “Many have been prosecuted and many others have been tried and sentenced.”
He noted the measures adopted by the Iraqi government to punish those in charge of the aforementioned wild actions, and underlined that those responsible for such actions have been prosecuted.
