Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili says the United States uses terrorism as a tool to breed insecurity in the region.
In a Wednesday meeting with Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Jalili pointed to the dangerous outcomes of the continued presence of the members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) in Camp Ashraf in Iraq.
MKO members fled to Iraq in the 1980s, where they enjoyed the support of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and set up the camp in the Diyala Province near the Iranian border.
Baghdad has voiced determination to uproot the outpost and has set numerous deadlines for MKO to leave the country.
But the terrorist group has managed to maintain the camp due to US backing.
“The opposition of some powers to the Iraqi government’s constructive initiative to eradicate the causes for the growth of terrorism in the country is indicative of these powers’ double standard policies,” IRNA quoted Jalili as saying.
“The support of these powers for the continuation of the presence of terrorists in Iraq not only indicates their …. [all-out] support for terrorism in the region, but also clearly unveils the American conspiracy to institutionalize insecurity and instability in Iraq,” he added.
The Iranian official hailed the Iraqi government and nation’s resolve to see the withdrawal of the US forces from the country.
“The experience of the past several years showed that the Iraqi government and people have the necessary capability to provide security and the presence of occupiers has resulted in nothing but insecurity in Iraq,” Jalili said.
Under the US-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), Washington is mandated to withdraw its 50,000-strong force from Iraq by December 31, 2011.
US officials are now pressing Baghdad to allow an extension of the US military presence.
However, according to Iraqi officials, local security forces are now completely capable of maintaining stability in the country.