Foreign outlook demotes Iraqi issues: Zarif

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the policies adopted by foreign powers vis-à-vis the affairs in Iraq are at odds with the interests of the Iraqi government and nation.

“This outlook [of extra-regional powers] is leading to the marginalization of the Iraqi nation as well as the humanitarian approach to their problems,” Zarif said in a Saturday meeting with Yan Kubish, the UN special envoy for Iraq in Tehran.

He described the presence of terrorists in Iraq as one of the main problems in the Arab country and said both regional countries and the United Nations need to help find a “rational” solution to issues facing the Iraqi people.

The Foreign Minister stressed the importance of combating terrorism and terrorist groups, particularly Daesh, in Iraq and expressed the Islamic Republic’s readiness to help the goal.

Kubish, for his part, said the United Nations has made efforts to solve political, security and economic problems in Iraq, adding that Iran has also played a very constructive role in this regard.

Earlier in the day, the UN envoy held a separate meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, during which they discussed the latest developments in Iraq.

SS