Iran not to hesitate restoring Iraq's stability, security

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Monday that the Islamic republic will spare no efforts to help the Iraqi government and people restore stability and security in the country, Press TV reported.

"All Iraqi ethnicities, tribes and groups must also take steps in this path," Zarif said in a meeting with the visiting Head of the National Iraqi Alliance, Ammar Hakim, and his accompanying delegation in Tehran.

He said the friendly relations between Iran and Iraq must serve as a model for other countries in the region.

Zarif also hailed what he called the valuable political and military achievements by the Iraqi government, nation and groups over the past years.

"There is the possibility of cooperation among all groups inside the Iraqi territory and it is crucial that certain regional countries do not transfer their problems onto Iraq," Zarif added.

For his part, Hakim briefed the Iranian foreign minister on the latest political and military developments in Iraq and praised Iran's support for his country's government and nation in the fight against terrorism.

Earlier on Monday, Hakim held talks with Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani.

Shamkhani underlined the need for consultation and cooperation among Iraqi groups of various faiths and ethnicities, warning of foreign plots in the Arab country to cause rifts among people, Press TV said.

He urged all Iraqi groups to remain vigilant and boost their convergence to thwart such "suspicious attempts.

"The only way to establish sustainable stability in Iraq is to popularize the process of defense and establish security," Shamkhani was quoted as saying.

He also hailed the recent victories of the Iraqi army soldiers and popular forces in operations to rid different locations of terrorists, particularly in the strategic northern city of Mosul.

The Iranian security official urged all Muslim countries and the international community to effectively fight extremism in the region.

Hakim, for his part, said political integrity and national unity are the most important needs of Iraq in the country's fight against Takfiri terrorism and the establishment of stability as well as economic and social development.

He praised Iran's continuous support for Iraq in the campaign against terrorism and said strong bonds between the Iranian and Iraqi people in addition to the two countries' resolve have prepared unique grounds for bolstering cooperation.

On Sunday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the United States has never been seeking to root out terrorism in the Middle East region, Press TV reported.

The United States is making efforts to preserve some terror groups in the Middle East to advance with its goals, Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with Hakim.

"In (Iraq's) Mosul and also in Syria, the United States is not in favor of the total defeat of Takfiri terrorists," Khamenei added.

Khamenei advised the National Iraqi Alliance not to trust the United States, warning that Washington has always been against powerful Muslim countries such as Iraq.

source: Xinhua