Iran tries charm to counter Israel remarks
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-07 08:36

Also Sunday, Ahmadinejad told visiting Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi that Tehran supports Iraq's territorial integrity and believes a powerful government in Baghdad is in Iran's interests. He also called for expediting the construction of an oil pipeline and railway between the once-bitter enemies.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that establishing peace and security in Iraq requires having a powerful government with popular support more than anything else," Ahmadinejad was quoted on television as telling Chalabi.

Relations between Iran and Iraq have improved markedly since the 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein, who led Iraqi forces into an eight-year war with Iran that ended in 1988 and killed more than 1 million people on both sides.

An Iraqi Airways passenger flight arrived Sunday in Tehran, the first flight between the countries in 25 years, and an official said scheduled twice-weekly flights would resume next week.

Ahmadinejad's call for Israel's destruction has angered many nations, including Italy, where pro-Israel supporters protested outside Iran's embassy in Rome last week. Italy's foreign minister, Gianfranco Fini, condemned Ahmadinejad's remarks and urged the international community to protect Israel.

Asefi slammed Fini on Sunday, telling reporters his comments were "not compatible with the role of foreign minister and with the glory and honor of the Italian nation."

Italy's Foreign Ministry responded, saying Fini "certainly cannot accept lessons on conduct coming from a foreign (ministry) spokesman."

"No one wants to isolate Iran," the Italian statement added. "On the contrary we all hope that Tehran, adopting responsible conduct, wants to play a role of stabilization in its region, but it is Iran which inevitably isolates itself in the moment it denies the right to exist to another state and other people."

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