Iran, major neighbor to Iraq: UN envoy

11 September 2008

Tehran-The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq (SRSG) Staffan de Mistura said here Wednesday that Iran is a very important neighboring country to Iraq.

De Mistura paid a visit to Tehran on September 9-10 and held talks with senior Iranian officials on promotion of regional cooperation and dialogue with Iraq by encompassing the views of neighboring countries.

Speaking to reporters, he assessed as "constructive" his talks with Iranian officials and said that Iran has close cooperation with Iraq.

He added that Iraq's neighboring countries play significant part in supporting the country's security, stability and national sovereignty.

He said that Iranian officials have called on Iraq to pull out of the UN Chapter VII, adding the UN Security Council would discuss the issue soon.

The UN envoy said that projects which are currently underway in Iraq by Iran would further bolster Tehran-Baghdad relations.

He added that exchange of visits between Iranian and Iraqi officials indicate strong ties between the two countries.

Praising Tehran-Baghdad constructive energy cooperation, the UN envoy said Iran has made investment in that sector in Iraq.

While in Tehran, the UN representative held talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Saeed Jalili, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and a number of other senior officials.