Ahmadinejad: US accusing Iran to hide failures in Iraq

NICARAGUA: Iran's hardline president said the United States is trying to hide its failures in Iraq by accusing his nation of funding Iraqi insurgents, and he pledged to form an anti-U.S. alliance with "revolutionary countries" in Latin America.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is touring Latin America seeking new allies, ducked a direct question by reporters Sunday about whether Iran was arming and supporting insurgents responsible for countless attacks in Iraq.

Speaking on the sidelines of his meeting with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, Ahmadinejad said the charges were merely an attempt by the United States "to cover their failures by other means." "But they have been discredited and they can't recover from that," he said.

Ahmadinejad said the United States' "attitude won't solve their problems" in Iraq, and he accused the United States of ignoring the Iraqi people.

Also Sunday, Iranian's Foreign Ministry in Tehran denied reports that the country's nuclear activities had stalled at one of its uranium enrichment plants and reiterated it would press ahead with the program, which the West fears could be used to make nuclear arms.

Ahmadinejad was in Managua as part of a whirlwind tour of Latin America's newly inaugurated leftist leaders. He met with close ally and Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez on Saturday, then was scheduled to attend the inauguration of Ecuador's new president, Rafael Correa, and meet Bolivian leader Evo Morales. All are outspoken critics of U.S. President George W. Bush.

Meanwhile - Iran is demanding the immediate release of five Iranians held by U.S. forces in Iraq, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Sunday, adding that the five are diplomats.

The five were arrested on Thursday in the northern Iraqi town of Arbil and the U.S. military has accused them of links to an Iranian Revolutionary Guard group that provides weapons to Iraqi insurgents.

"Americans should immediately release the five Iranians and pay compensation for the damages they caused to our office in Arbil," Mohammad Ali Hosseini told a weekly news conference, adding the five were "involved in consulate affairs."

"Their activities were legal and in the framework of law," Hosseini said when asked whether the five Iranians were members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards.

Tehran denies backing the insurgency and blames U.S. troops for the violence and for stoking tensions between Iraq's Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims.

"Americans want to radicalize the atmosphere in Iraq to justify their occupation, but we will act wisely," Hosseini said.

Meanwhile Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa warned that the deadly sectarian strife gripping Iraq was only "the tip of the iceberg" and could yet deteriorate further.

Mussa was answering questions ahead of a meeting Monday with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is touring the region to defend Washington's plan to send more troops to Iraq in a bid to stem civil violence.

"The situation in Iraq is like an iceberg, what is visible is dwarfed by the submerged part," Mussa told reporters.

"Stability will not be achieved in Iraq so long as sectarian conflicts are being fought and hidden agendas are being pursued that use sectarianism or allow it to fester unchecked," Mussa said.

US President George W. Bush announced last week he was planning to send an extra 21,500 troops to Iraq to stem unprecedented bloodshed in the country while pressing the Iraqi government to boost its own security efforts.

Mussa did not name Washington but said the flames of sectarianism had been fanned by foreign parties.

"Encouraging belligerence and sedition between Shiites and Sunnis was a huge blow to Iraqi society," Mussa said.

Washington has come under intense criticism for allowing the Shiite-led Iraqi government to carry out the execution of deposed Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein on December 30, the first day of a major Muslim holiday.

Mussa said he would discuss Bush's new strategy in conflict-ridden Iraq with Rice during their meeting Monday in the southern Nile city of Luxor.

Managua, Teheran, Cairo, Monday, AP, Reuters, AFP.