Leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Jalal Talabani said on Sunday that he conveyed no message from
the US to Iran or a response from Iran. He told IRNA at the end of his six-day visit to Iran that what he relayed to Iran were quotations from U.S. officials. "Iranian officials said that the best guarantee for Iran and the entire region is that the Iraqi people determine their own fate," Talabani said.
He added that Washington has no ill-intention against Iran, saying "on the contrary, toppling the Iraqi regime will also serve Iran's interest". Talabani stated that the Iraqi dictatorship has inflicted heavy damage on Iran. It initiated war on Iran, killed Iranians and launched
chemical warfare against them, he said. The Kurdish leader declared that toppling the Iraqi regime would serve the interests of all the nations in the Middle East.
Talabani said that Saddam's stepping down from power is not enough and a fundamental change should take place in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Iran's President Mohammad Khatami and Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul on Sunday held talks on ways to prevent the outbreak of a new war in Iraq.
At the end of their talks, the two leaders called for settlement of the Iraqi crisis and Iraqi compliance with the United Nations resolutions. Khatami and Gul also voiced support for Iraq's territorial integrity and unified action by Islamic states to get over the current situation peacefully.
Also on Sunday, Khatami met in Tehran the visiting Kuwaiti
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah. The Iranian leader stressed the need to restore security as a prerequisite for development, prosperity and stability of the region.
"Iran and Kuwait have suffered greatly from the wrong policies of Baghdad rulers," Khatami said. He expressed hope that the Iraqi crisis would be solved through Baghdad's cooperation with the United Nations and its compliance with the UN Security Council resolutions. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
