Iran asks Iraq not to search Syria-bound planes
IRAN: Tehran on Tuesday asked Iraq not to stop and search its
Syria-bound aircraft despite US pressure to do so, after Baghdad
inspected Iranian planes twice this month.
"The Iraqi government should resist such pressures and do not allow
such acts to take place in the future," said Iranian foreign ministry
spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast.
The Iraqi authorities stopped and searched a Syria-bound cargo plane
from Iran for weapons on October 28, after carrying out a similar
inspection on October 2. Both planes were allowed continue their journey
on to Syria when their cargo was cleared.
The United States has been pressing Baghdad to ensure all Iranian
aircraft flying through its airspace are ordered to land and checked for
weapons, but Iraq has said it will only stop planes when it has doubts
about the cargo.
"In the two cases which our planes were inspected by Iraq it showed
that such claims are lies," Mehmanparast said.
Mehmanparast added that "Western accusations against Iran are to show
thatthe instability in Syria is not due to their support and supply of
weapons to terrorist groups." Tehran, a staunch backer of Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad, has been accused of arming his regime, but
maintains it is only offering humanitarian aid. Iraq has pointedly
avoided calling for the departure of Assad, whose forces are locked in a
19-month conflict with rebels who are trying to overthrow his regime.
AFP
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