Iranian officials comment differently on Fekka issue

December 19, 2009 - 03:59:48

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq:

Iranian officials commented in different ways concerning their country’s incursion into Iraq’s southern territories and imposing military control over the Iraqi Fekka oilfield.

The Regional Prime Minister of the Iraqi Kurdistan Barham Salih is currently in Tehran, yet no news about his role in solving this critical issue.

The head of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Islamic Shura Council, Hojatoleslam Hossein Ebrahimi, said that according to U.N. estimates, Iraq should pay Iran around one thousand billion U.S. dollars as compensation for the Iraqi-Iranian War (1980–1988).

“The Fekka oilfield issue, however, will be solved through diplomacy, because we don’t seek deterioration in relations with Iraq,” the Mehr News Agency quoted Ebrahimi on Saturday.

The Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry did not deny the incursion news, but accused the media of escalating the issue.

“The use of such frames and words in reporting this issue plants dispute between the two sides,” the Ministry’s spokesperson told the agency.

He said that the Ministry and other Iranian institutions are currently examining news in this regard.

But Iranian ambassador in Baghdad Hassan Kazemi Qomi denied on Saturday reports that Iranian soldiers seized an oil well in Missan, according to the Iranian news agency Fars.

“The reports about Iranian forces’ incursion into Iraqi territories and the occupation of an oil well there are lies and incorrect,” Qomi was quoted by Fars as saying.

He said that pending issues between the two countries are solved in accordance with a diplomatic mechanism. “Creating a crisis like this would never have the slightest effect on relations between Iran and Iraq.”

Iranian mission in Baghdad refuted some media reports that Iranian armed forces seized an Iraqi oil well.

Iran has the longest border with Iraq, and providing safety to this long border is among priorities of Iran’s foreign policy, the source said according to Fars News Agency.

The source added that Iraq’s neighboring countries have acknowledged that Iran-Iraq shared border is the safest border of the Arab country.

Meanwhile, the official added that the rumor came as Iran and Iraq have set up a joint technical commission to explore border activities and the commission is continuously holding sessions.

The head of the National Security Committee of the Islamic Shura Council accused the west and its friends in Iraq of making such claims about the Fekka oilfield as a conspiracy to curb developing relations between Iraq and Iran.

“The Iraqi Government should be careful in dealing with such conspiracies,” he said.

Many of the Iraqi Shiite officials who are currently in power in Iraq were in exile Iran during the 1980s and 1990s, when Iraq was under the strong fist of Saddam Hussein and his Baath party.

The only reaction so from the Iraqi side came through the Iraq’s National Security Council that considered an Iranian force’s incursion into an oilfield as violation of the country’s sovereignty, demanding the immediate withdrawal and removal of the Iranian flag from a well tower in the field, according to the Iraqi government’s official spokesman.

Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency that the National Security Council held an emergency meeting under the commander-in-chief of the armed forces to discuss an incursion by an Iranian armed group into the Iraqi borders in the province of Missan.

Dabbagh said 11 Iranian soldiers had taken control of the Fakka oilfield in a remote desert area of southeastern Iraq, in a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.

He said that Iraq demands the immediate withdrawal from well No. 4 and the Fakka oilfield, which belongs to Iraq. Iraq is looking for a peaceful and diplomatic settlement to this issue.

Iraqi officials said the Iranian soldiers crossed into Iraqi territory on Friday and raised the Iranian flag at Fakka, whose ownership is disputed by Iran.

Iraqi Deputy Interior Minister Ahmed Ali al-Khafaji said the incursion was the latest of several this week at the field, some 300 km (185 miles) southeast of Baghdad in Missan province.

He said that at 3:30 this afternoon, 11 Iranian (soldiers) infiltrated the Iran-Iraq border and took control of the oil well, they raised the Iranian flag, and they are still there.

Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency later quoted the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) as rejecting the report.

Mehr quoted the NIOC as saying that the company denies Iranian soldiers taking control of any oil well inside Iraqi territory.

Khafaji said the well was in Iraqi area.

Dabbagh pointed out that the Iraqi government has initiated diplomatic steps and contacts with the Iranian side as the Iranian ambassador in Baghdad was summoned.

He said that the Iraqi ambassador in Tehran was instructed to submit a diplomatic memorandum to the Iranian foreign minister to deal with this incursion in a bid to preserve the good diplomatic ties with neighboring Iran and reject and use of force or imposition of any fait accompli status.

He noted that the Iraqi government urges the Iranian government to settle all border problems via diplomatic dialogue and avoid the use of military force so as to maintain our common security.

MH (I)/SR

Iran demands $1 trillion in compensation from Iraq- Iranian lawmaker

December 19, 2009 - 03:16:44

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq:

Iran demands $1 trillion U.S. dollars in compensation from Iraq for the damage done to the country during the Gulf war, the Iranian Mehr News Agency (MNA) quoted an Iranian lawmaker as saying.

“According to UN estimates, the Islamic Republic of Iran demands $1 trillion U.S. dollars in compensation from Iraq in compensation for the damage caused by the war,” said the head of the foreign relations committee in the Iranian Shura Council, Hassan Ibrahimi, according to MNA. In response to what the Iranian news agency described as “allegations of the Iranian seizure of an oil well in Iraq,” Ibrahimi said that his country “will never have a dispute with Iraq.”

“The issue will be resolved by means of diplomatic dialogue,” he added. The Iranian ambassador to Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, had denied reports that Iranian soldiers seized an oil well in Missan. During an emergency meeting on Friday (Dec. 18), Iraq’s National Security Council considered an Iranian force’s incursion into an oilfield as “violation of the country’s sovereignty,” demanding “the immediate withdrawal and removal of the Iranian flag from the well tower in the field,” according to the Iraqi government’s official spokesman. The spokesperson said 11 Iranian soldiers had taken control of the Fakka oilfield in a remote desert area of southeastern Iraq, in a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty.” Iraq demanded an immediate withdrawal from well No. 4 and the Fakka oilfield, saying it was looking for a peaceful and diplomatic settlement to the issue.

Iraqi officials said the Iranian soldiers crossed into Iraqi territory on Friday and raised the Iranian flag at Fakka, whose ownership is disputed by Iran.

SS (S)/SR

Iranian ambassador in Baghdad denies oil well seizure reports

December 19, 2009 - 12:18:19

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq:

Iranian ambassador in Baghdad Hassan Kazemi Qomi denied on Saturday reports that Iranian soldiers seized an oil well in Missan, according to the Iranian news agency Fars.

“The reports about Iranian forces’ incursion into Iraqi territories and the occupation of an oil well there are lies and incorrect,” Qomi was quoted by Fars as saying.

He said that pending issues between the two countries are solved in accordance with a diplomatic mechanism. “Creating a crisis like this would never have the slightest effect on relations between Iran and Iraq.”

Iranian mission in Baghdad refuted some media reports that Iranian armed forces seized an Iraqi oil well.

Iran has the longest border with Iraq, and providing safety to this long border is among priorities of Iran’s foreign policy, the source said according to Fars News Agency.

The source added that Iraq’s neighboring countries have acknowledged that Iran-Iraq shared border is the safest border of the Arab country.

Meanwhile, the official added that the rumor came as Iran and Iraq have set up a joint technical commission to explore border activities and the commission is continuously holding sessions.

Earlier, Iraq’s National Security Council considered an Iranian force’s incursion into an oilfield as violation of the country’s sovereignty, demanding the immediate withdrawal and removal of the Iranian flag from a well tower in the field, according to the Iraqi government’s official spokesman.

Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency that the National Security Council held an emergency meeting under the commander-in-chief of the armed forces to discuss an incursion by an Iranian armed group into the Iraqi borders in the province of Missan.

Dabbagh said 11 Iranian soldiers had taken control of the Fakka oilfield in a remote desert area of southeastern Iraq, in a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.

He said that Iraq demands the immediate withdrawal from well No. 4 and the Fakka oilfield, which belongs to Iraq. Iraq is looking for a peaceful and diplomatic settlement to this issue.

Iraqi officials said the Iranian soldiers crossed into Iraqi territory on Friday and raised the Iranian flag at Fakka, whose ownership is disputed by Iran.

Iraqi Deputy Interior Minister Ahmed Ali al-Khafaji said the incursion was the latest of several this week at the field, some 300 km (185 miles) southeast of Baghdad in Missan province.

He said that at 3:30 this afternoon, 11 Iranian (soldiers) infiltrated the Iran-Iraq border and took control of the oil well, they raised the Iranian flag, and they are still there.

Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency later quoted the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) as rejecting the report.

Mehr quoted the NIOC as saying that the company denies Iranian soldiers taking control of any oil well inside Iraqi territory.

Khafaji said the well was in Iraqi area.

Dabbagh pointed out that the Iraqi government has initiated diplomatic steps and contacts with the Iranian side as the Iranian ambassador in Baghdad was summoned.

He said that the Iraqi ambassador in Tehran was instructed to submit a diplomatic memorandum to the Iranian foreign minister to deal with this incursion in a bid to preserve the good diplomatic ties with neighboring Iran and reject and use of force or imposition of any fait accompli status.

He noted that the Iraqi government urges the Iranian government to settle all border problems via diplomatic dialogue and avoid the use of military force so as to maintain our common security.

MH (R)/AmR

Iraq urges Iran to “immediately withdraw” from oilfield – spokesman

December 19, 2009 - 07:52:40

BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq:

Iraq’s National Security Council considered an Iranian force’s incursion into an oilfield as “violation of the country’s sovereignty,” demanding “the immediate withdrawal and removal of the Iranian flag from the a well tower in the field,” according to the Iraqi government’s official spokesman.

“The National Security Council held an emergency meeting under the commander-in-chief of the armed forces to discuss an incursion by an Iranian armed group into the Iraqi borders in the province of Missan,” Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.

Dabbagh said 11 Iranian soldiers had taken control of the Fakka oilfield in a remote desert area of southeastern Iraq, in a “violation of Iraqi sovereignty.”

“Iraq demands the immediate withdrawal from well No. 4 and the Fakka oilfield, which belongs to Iraq. Iraq is looking for a peaceful and diplomatic settlement to this issue,” he said.

Iraqi officials said the Iranian soldiers crossed into Iraqi territory on Friday and raised the Iranian flag at Fakka, whose ownership is disputed by Iran.

Iraqi Deputy Interior Minister Ahmed Ali al-Khafaji said the incursion was the latest of several this week at the field, some 300 km (185 miles) southeast of Baghdad in Maysan province.

“At 3:30 this afternoon, 11 Iranian (soldiers) infiltrated the Iran-Iraq border and took control of the oil well. They raised the Iranian flag, and they are still there,” he said.

Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency later quoted the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) as rejecting the report.

“The company denies Iranian soldiers taking control of any oil well inside Iraqi territory,” Mehr quoted the NIOC as saying.

Khafaji said the well was in Iraqi territory.

Dabbagh pointed out that the Iraqi government has initiated diplomatic steps and contacts with the Iranian side as the Iranian ambassador in Baghdad was summoned.

“The Iraqi ambassador in Tehran was instructed to submit a diplomatic memorandum to the Iranian foreign minister to deal with this incursion in a bid to preserve the good diplomatic ties with neighboring Iran and reject and use of force or imposition of any fait accompli status,” he said.

He noted that the Iraqi government urges the Iranian government to “settle all border problems via diplomatic dialogue and avoid the use of military force so as to maintain our common security”.

AmR (S)