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Iran cancels talks with U.S. over Iraq

NU Online  ·  Senin, 19 Juni 2006 | 10:52 WIB

Teheran, NU Online
Iran ruled out holding talks over the situation in the occupied Iraqi territories with the United States. Direct talks on Iraq between two countries were impossible, a Foreign Ministry official said on Sunday after an influential Iraqi politician encouraged Tehran to take part in discussions.

On Saturday, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, head of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), a key Shi'ite Muslim party closely allied to Iran, said in Tehran such direct talks could benefit both Tehran and Baghdad.

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However, he told reporters he was not an intermediary carrying messages from the United States.

"Talks between Iran and the United States are in Iraq's interests and could be in Iran's interests as well because the United States is present in Iraq and in the region," he said.

But Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi on Sunday told a news conference: "We do not have talks with the United States on the agenda now."

"Because we respected Mr. Hakim's opinion, we accepted his request to talk to the United States but the Americans showed unreasonable and inappropriate behavior that made the talks impossible," Asefi said. (reu/alj/dar)