Larijani VP - Hashemi meeting "tense" - Iraqi07 November, 2009
Vice president Tariq Al-Hashemi noted of his meeting Friday with Iranian Speaker of the Parliament Ali Larijani that it was "uncomfortable and perhaps even tense."
"I told Larijani that the Iraqi people have lost a great deal of their desire to normalize relations with Iran because of the latter's illegitimate intervention in the domestic affairs of Iraq, in particular in security and political stability matters," Al-Hashemi said in a press statement issued here today.
Among the stack of issues the two officials discussed were those related to oil, water shortage in Shatt Al-Arab waterway, trade in expired food, and the drug trade, said Al-Hashemi.
But, he said, as usual Larijani refuted all Iraqi concerns about these issues and others, even when Al-Hashemi told him his concerns were based on official Iraqi documentation he was willing to show to Larijani.
To Larijani's plea that Iraq should release a few Iranian detainees, who may have crossed the border into Iraq illegally or violated their residency conditions in Iraq, Al-Hashemi said Iraq would let them go when Iran itself released a number of Iraqi detainees it keeps.
Larijani had met earlier today with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani with whom he reviewed bilateral relations and means to expand them.
The Iranian visitor also met with Iraq's Speaker Ayad Al-Samurraei and with vice president Adel Abdul Mahdi.
Later on Larijani will go to the city of Najaf to confer with Shiite Cleric Ali Al-Sistani.
It is noteworthy that Larijani's visit earlier to the Iraqi parliament was met by some MPs with consternation. They held a press conference in which they confirmed their rejection of the visit of Larijani to their country because of what they said was Iran's support of terrorists in Iraq by way of providing them with arms and training.
