Rafsanjani emphasizes need for Iraqi national cohesion in meeting with KDP leader

Tehran Times: Chairman of the Expediency Council (EC) Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani here on Sunday underlined the need to establish unity and solidarity among all of Iraq’s religious and ethnic groups.
In a meeting with the leader of Iraq’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, he said that the enemies of the Iraqi nation are trying to take advantage of the disputes among different Iraqi groups in order to plunder the country’s resources. Tehran Times

TEHRAN – Chairman of the Expediency Council (EC) Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani here on Sunday underlined the need to establish unity and solidarity among all of Iraq’s religious and ethnic groups.

In a meeting with the leader of Iraq’s Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, he said that the enemies of the Iraqi nation are trying to take advantage of the disputes among different Iraqi groups in order to plunder the country’s resources.

The EC chairman also urged the United States to withdraw its troops from Iraq and to let the Iraqi people rule their own country.

The Islamic Republic of Iran wants to see Iraq’s national unity and territorial integrity maintained and also wants the Iraqi people to experience true freedom, he said, adding that Tehran would spare no effort to that end.

Rafsanjani went on to say that holding a free election with a high voter turnout would pave the way for the establishment of peace and stability in the war-torn country.

Barzani briefed Rafsanjani on the latest developments in Iraq, saying that the occupiers would not have had such serious problems if they had fulfilled the commitments they made in the statement issued at the end of the London Conference on Afghanistan.

He praised Iran for its stances and its cooperation in efforts to establish peace and stability in Iraq and noted that the Iraqi nation would never forget the humanitarian assistance provided by Iran during the time of difficulty.