Iraq bows to US pressure: Syria-bound Iran flights to be searched
middle-east-online
30-Sep-2012

Hoshyar Zebari says Iraq will not ‘not accept being transit point or passage way for... arming or financing’ Syrian conflict.

DUBAI - Iraq is determined to stop and search flights from
Iran over its territory which are suspected of carrying weapons to
Syria, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in comments reported on
Sunday.

"We have assured US officials that the Iraqi
government is determined to land (Iranian) flights and carry out random
searches," Zebari said, quoted by Arabic daily Al-Hayat.

The
Iraqi minister added that his government had told Tehran "to stop the
flights and stop arming or financing the (Syrian regime) or any other
party to the conflict."

Zebari said Iraq would not "not accept being a transit point or passage way for... arming or financing" the Syrian conflict.

Last
week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pushed Baghdad to deliver
on pledges to stop such flights during a meeting with Iraqi Vice
President Kudayr al-Khuzaie.

Clinton reported "some
encouraging first steps," citing an incident in which Iraqi authorities
stopped a North Korean flight from crossing its air space while on its
way to Syria over suspicions it was carrying arms and advisers.

Zebari
said the flights fir... >>>

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