Iran and Iraq signed MoU on border security
ILNA: Iran and Iraq signed a memorandum of understanding on improving border cooperation in order to step up the campaign against terrorism and prevent illegal border crossings.
Along these lines, Iranian Border Police Commander Brigadier General Hossein Zolfaqari held talks with his Iraqi counterpart and other border officials in Tehran on Sunday.
Zolfaqari asked Iraq to prevent terrorist groups from using its territory as a launch pad for attacks against Iranians.
The two nations also agreed to activate joint border committees to study and resolve any difficulties on their shared borders.
Iran and Iraq have signed a memorandum of understanding on improving border cooperation in order to step up the campaign against terrorism and prevent illegal border crossings.
In addition, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is due in Tehran on Monday for talks on major security and border issues.
He is scheduled to meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other high-ranking Iranian officials during his one-day trip to the Iranian capital
Syrian politician terms Ahmadinejad’s visit to Lebanon successful
IRNA – A Syrian politician here on Monday termed the recent visit to Lebanon of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as successful.
Abdullah al-Ahmar, Deputy General Secretary of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party made the remarks in a meeting with Managing Director of the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) Ali-Akbar Javanfekr.
He reiterated that President Ahmadinejad’s visit delivered a message to the Zionist regime and its major ally, the US, saying that the resistance movement is still going on successfully.
The warm and enthusiastic welcome of the Lebanese people to the Iranian President was in response to the Islamic Republic’s all-out support for them, al-Ahmar added.
The Lebanese nation proved that there was brotherly relations between the two nations and that the Zionist regime could not sow discord between the two friendly countries, he reiterated.
Germany’s parliamentary delegation enters Iran
Tehran Times – A German parliamentary delegation entered Iran on Sunday at the invitation of the Majlis Cultural Committee.
The invitees are members of the German Bundestag cultural and media affairs committee. The delegation includes members from different German political parties.
The German lawmakers plan to meet Majlis cultural committee chairman Gholamali Haddad-Adel and Majlis speaker Ali Larijani during their five-day stay in Iran.
The German delegation will also visit some cultural-scientific centers in Tehran, Qom, and Isfahan.
Iran rejects Allawi’s remarks on interference in Iraq
ISNA--Iranian ambassador to Iraq Hassan Danaeifar rejected remarks of former Iraqi Premier Iyad Allawi on Iran’s interference in the neighboring country.
"We are used to such remarks, the comments about Iran’s interference in Iraq or fueling unrest in the country never came true," he told ISNA.
"Such words are insult to Iraqi voters, parliamentarians and parties, we reject all these comments, Iran is strongly sensitive to Iraq’s security and it believes that a secure and developed Iraq is much better than an insecure Iraq," he added.
Ayad Allawi has already claimed that Iran is working to destabilize the Middle East.
The Iranian ambassador then moved to the trip of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to Iran and said the trip is in line with al-Maliki’s consultation with Iraqi neighboring states after raised probability of taking office again.
"Al-Maliki has put trip to Syria, Jordan, Iran, Qatar, Turkey and Egypt on his agenda to receive viewpoints of neighboring states and declare his position as well," he continued.
Iraqi Prime Minister is to arrive in Iran on Monday for one-day visit and he will meet with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Supreme National Security Council Secretary Saeed Jalili.
Iraq’s Al Maliki visits Iran as premiership rival cries foul
Golf News- Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki arrives in Tehran to hold talks with senior Iranian officials on bilateral and regional issues
Tehran: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki, who is on a regional tour to garner support for his premiership, arrived in Tehran on Monday to hold talks with senior Iranian officials, state television reported.
His visit comes a day after his premiership rival, former prime minister Eyad Allawi, accused Iran of interfering in Iraqi politics and destabilising the entire Middle East.
Iranian state television covered Al Maliki’s arrival live.
He is expected to hold talks with "top" Iranian officials later in the day and discuss bilateral and regional issues, the television report said.
Al Maliki’s visit comes as he is locked in a protracted battle for the premiership with Allawi.
His Shiite-led State of Law bloc finished a narrow second behind Allawi’s mainly Sunni-backed Iraqiya alliance but neither came close to securing a parliamentary majority in the March 7 general election.
Allawi has looked to support from Gulf Arab states led by Saudi Arabia, which he visited earlier this month, and has repeatedly accused Iran of meddling in the drawn-out coalition talks in Baghdad. Continued…
Iran arrests 7 Afghan border guards: police
Tehran Times – Iranian police have arrested seven Afghan border guards who had illegally crossed the border, border police chief Hossein Zolfaqari announced on Sunday.
“A couple of days ago, Iranian border guards spotted a suspicious vehicle which had entered 50 meters into Iran’s soil and after a shoot-out managed to arrest 6 low-ranking Afghan police officers and one Afghan soldier (who were in the vehicle),” Zolfaqari said.
The arrested Afghans have claimed they were on patrol and didn’t know that they had crossed the border, he explained.
The investigation in this regard is underway, he added.
Iran to allow neighbors visa-free travel
Press TV- Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki says that Tehran plans to lift visa requirements for citizens of neighboring countries.
Mottaki made the remarks on Sunday in the northwestern province of Ardebil, IRNA reported.
He said that the move will help Iran increase its interactions and communication with neighboring countries.
He went on to say that Iran has already lifted visa requirements for Azerbaijani nationals and expects Baku to introduce a visa-free regime for Iranians soon.
In addition, Iran and Georgia are also planning to eliminate visa regulations for their nationals in the near future, Mottaki noted.
Iran and Georgia have expanded their ties and cooperation in the economic, industrial, and trade spheres in recent years.
It is estimated that Iranian citizens are allowed visa-free access to 43 countries and territories.
U.S. says Chinese businesses and banks are bypassing U.N. sanctions against Iran
Washington Post - The Obama administration has concluded that Chinese firms are helping Iran to improve its missile technology and develop nuclear weapons, and has asked China to stop such activity, a senior U.S. official said.
During a visit to Beijing last month, a delegation led by Robert J. Einhorn, the State Department’s special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control handed a "significant list" of companies and banks to their Chinese counterparts, according to the senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue in U.S.-Chinese relations. The official said the Obama administration thinks that the companies are violating U.N. sanctions, but that China did not authorize their activities.
The Obama administration faces a balancing act in pressing Beijing to stop the deals and limit Chinese investments in Iran’s energy industry. U.S. officials say they need to preserve their ability to work with China on issues ranging from the value of its currency to the stability of North Korea. But the administration also wants to make progress in efforts to dissuade Iran from building a nuclear weapon and to convince other powerful states that China is not receiving lenient treatment because of its energy needs.