US forces raid Iran's consulate in Iraq, arrest 5
The US forces stormed the building at about 5 am (local time), arrested its five staff members and confiscated computers and documents, the sources added.
The Islamic Republic of Iran set up its consulate in Erbil in response to the official request of the government in this Kurdish region in order to facilitate traffic of the two countries' nationals.
Erbil is a city in the Kurdish-controlled north of Iraq, 350 kilometers (220 miles) from Baghdad.
The Iranian embassy in Baghdad sent a letter to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry this morning protesting the US' illegal move.
In its protest letter, the Iranian embassy called on the Iraqi government to help obtain the immediate release of its five detained staff.
US occupying forces had previously detained two Iranian diplomats entering Baghdad at the official invitation of the Iraqi president.
Condemning the new strategy, he said Bush's decision to increase the number of its troops in Iraq comes as "an unpleasant present to the American people for the new Christian year."
Alluding to Bush's accusations of Iranian and Syrian interference in Iraq's domestic affairs, the spokesman said Washington was seeking pretexts for its failed policies in the country.
He said an immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq would be the only way of solving the US' numerous problems in that country.
He said Washington's decision to deploy Patriot missiles over Iraq is intended to bolster its support for the Zionist regime purportedly to protect the Islamic state. "We and all world Muslims condemn such a move," Hosseini added.
He further criticized the appointment of a coordinator for Iraqi affairs by Bush as an indication of Washington's open interference in Iraqi domestic affairs.
In other developments, US forces raided the Iranian consulate in the Iraqi northern city of Erbil, arrested its five staff members and confiscated computers and documents early Thursday morning.
Erbil, a main city in the Kurdish-controlled north of Iraq, is 350 kilometers (220 miles) from Baghdad.
The Iranian embassy in Baghdad has sent a letter of protest to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry for the illegal move.
It has called on the Iraqi government to help obtain
the immediate release of its five detained staff.
Talking to IRNA on condition of anonymity, he said the government of Iraqi Kurdistan is responsible for maintaining security in the entire region.
The government of Iraqi Kurdistan was in no way informed of the storming of the Iranian consulate by US forces, he said, adding that the region's security forces were cognizant of the legal activities of the Iranian consulate.
The Islamic Republic of Iran set up its consulate in Erbil upon the request of the province's governor-general to facilate exchanges of the two countries' nationals two year ago and was under the supervision of the government of this Kurdish region, the the official added.
Kurdish security forces are responsible for guarding the Iranian consulate, he said, adding that the US forces disarmed the Kurdish guards of the consulate and used force to enter the building.
US forces stormed the consulate at about 5 am (local time), arrested its five staff members and confiscated computers and documents, reliable sources said.
Erbil, a city in the Kurdish-controlled north of Iraq, is 350 kilometers (220 miles) from Baghdad.
There is still no news about the whereabouts of the Iranian consulate staffers who were forcibly taken by the US forces after their raid.
The Iranian embassy in Baghdad has sent a letter to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry protesting the US' illegal move.
In its protest letter, the Iranian embassy called on the Iraqi government to help obtain the immediate release of its five detained staff.
US occupying forces had previously detained two
Iranian diplomats entering Baghdad at the official invitation of the Iraqi
president.
Baghdad, Jan 11, IRNA- Spokesman for the Iraqi government, Ali al-Dabagh on Thursday declared his country's call for most favorable relations with Iran, Syria and the US.
Concerning the new strategy of President George W. Bush on Iraq, he said that it underlines ceding the responsibility for the security to Iraqi forces, adding that Iraq welcomes such a strategy by the US.
... Payvand News - 1/11/07 ... --
