The following report was posted on the Iraqi Vice President’s official website about his recent meeting with the Iranian regime’s parliamentary speaker, Ali Larijani, in Baghdad:
Tariq al-Hashemi, the Vice President of Iraq, has said that a meeting with Mr. Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Iran’s Consultative Assembly, and his delegation took place in an uncomfortable and probably tense atmosphere.
He added, “I informed Mr. Larijani that Iran’s illegitimate and unreasonable meddling in Iraq’s internal affairs particularly as it regards security and political spheres has led many Iraqis to lose faith in the prospect of normalization of relations between the two countries.”
he VP also said, “I asked Mr. Larijani to explain about Iran’s policy towards many of the issues relating to Iraq, including the shutting down of water for 42 Iraqi rivers, violations with regards to common oil wells, regional water sources in Iraq, reduction of the Shatt al-Arab waterway, exporting expired food products and drugs to Iraq, and a number of other complex issues.”
He went on to say, “However, as usual, Mr. Ali Larijani denied these reports. Even when I stressed that I can back up my claims by relying on official Iraqi documents by personalities close to Iran as well as reports by the Iraqi government, Mr. Larijani once again denied the reports I introduced in the meeting. This meeting was not at all comfortable.”
With regards to Larijani’s call on al-Hashemi to issue a pardon meant for the release of a number of Iranian prisoners in Iraq who were arrested for illegal entry into Iraq or for violation of residency laws, the VP said, “I called on Mr. Larijani to free Iraqi prisoners in Iran and in return I will study the option of a pardon for Iranian prisoners in Iraq and return the ball to Iran’s court.”