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Iraq’s former PM lashes out at Iran’s bid to influence charter |
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Tuesday, 27 September 2005 |
Iran Focus
 London, Sep. 28 – Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi warned that continuing meddling in Iraq’s internal affairs by neighbouring Iran will “damage” both the Islamic Republic and the region, an Iraqi daily reported.
In a separate development, an Iraqi government spokesman asked provincial governors not to sign bilateral agreements with neighbouring states without prior approval from Baghdad.
Allawi said that he was not satisfied with the new Iraqi constitution and that the future parliament, reflecting the demands of the Iraqi people, would endeavour to change some of its articles, the daily al-Mashreq reported on Monday.
Allawi backed a recent statement by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, who had sharply criticised Iran’s meddling in Iraq, and said, "This meddling [by Iran"> will be against Iran and the whole region".
The former prime minister said al-Faisal's remarks reflected Iraq's everyday reality.
The Jordanian government has also given its backing to the Saudi statement on Iran’s meddling in Iraq.
Allawi said that several ministers had indicated to him that Iran would make every effort to oppose his return to power, something which he said Tehran considered as “a red line not to be crossed”.
Meanwhile, the television channel al-Hurra quoted Iraqi government spokesman Laith Kubba as stating that Iraqi governors had been told not to sign contracts or bilateral treaties with foreign governments without seeking approval from the central government.
Kubba said that officials in the southern city of Basra had already signed contracts with Iran without the prior notification of the central Iraqi government, adding that the governor of Najaf had been asked to resign after he signed such contracts with foreign governments.
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