Iran said on Monday that holding a new round of talks with the United States on Iraq would "make no sense" when bloodshed is going on in the war-torn country, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Iraq's Minister of Industry and Minerals Fawzi al-Hariri (L) sign an agreement in Baghdad March 3, 2008.
"The focus of discussions with the U.S. is Iraq's security and stability. We are witnessing indiscriminate bombardment of Iraqi residential areas by the U.S. occupying forces," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad-Ali Hosseini was quoted as saying." Given the current circumstances, holding the next round of talks (with the United States) would have no result and make no sense," Hosseini said.
The United States, which accuses Iran of providing weapons and funds to the insurgents to fight against coalition forces in Iraq, has held three rounds of talks with Iran over Iraq's security issue but failed to reach any agreement.
Iran denies U.S. accusations, saying Washington just wanted to find excuses for its failed policies in Iraq and it was the existence of U.S. forces that made the war-torn country volatile.
(Xinhua News Agency May 6, 2008)