Iran plans to expand ties with Iraq: Tehran envoy

Washington, Jan 29: Iran is taking steps to greatly expandmilitary and economic ties with Iraq, Tehran's ambassador to Iraq saidin an interview with New York Times.

The ambassador, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, said yesterday Iran wasprepared to offer Iraqi forces training, equipment and advisers for''the security fight'' and was ready to assume major responsibility forthe reconstruction of Iraq.

He also acknowledged for the first time that two Iranians detainedlast month by US forces were security officials as the United Stateshas claimed.

''They worked in the security sector in the Islamic Republic,that's clear,'' Qomi said in a 90-minute interview at the IranianEmbassy in Baghdad. The interview appeared in today's New York Times.

The Iranians were in Iraq because ''the two countries agreed tosolve the security problems,'' the ambassador said. The Iranians ''wentto meet with the Iraqi side,'' he told the newspaper.

Qomi said the Iranians should not have been detained and heridiculed evidence the US military said it has which proving theIranians were involved in planning attacks on American and Iraqi forces.

Qomi also announced that Iran would soon open a national bank inBaghdad. An Iraqi banking official confirmed that Iran has received alicense to open what would be the first ''wholly owned subsidiarybank'' of a foreign country in Iraq, the newspaper reported.

US forces this month detained five more Iranians in a raid on a diplomatic office in the northern city of Arbil.

The United States has accused Iran of helping arm, train and fund Iraqi militants, notably fellow Shi'ite Muslims.

President George W Bush said on Friday US forces in Iraq haveauthority to protect themselves against Iranians attempting to launchattacks inside Iraq.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told The New York Timesthat the United States had a significant body of evidence tying Iran tosectarian attacks inside Iraq.

''There is a high degree of confidence in the information that wealready have, and we are constantly accumulating more,'' McCormack said.

The report said McCormack did not address the specifics of Qomi'scomments about plans for stronger economic and security ties, but saidIran currently plays ''a negative role in many respects'' in Iraq.

Reuters>