Iraqi Sunnis do not welcome Iranian help

[ECH1969]

Sunni leaders in Iraq denounced talks Friday between Iran and the United States over the Iraq's future.

The Tawafuq Front, a Sunni coalition, called the talks "an obvious unjustified interference in Iraq's affairs," The New York Times reported. Leaders said in a statement that the front "is not committed, under any circumstances, to any results."

On Thursday, Ali Larijani, one of Iran's senior security officials and its top nuclear negotiator, told the parliament he was sending negotiators to Baghdad.

http://washingtontimes.com/upi/20060317-032551-7902r.htm

[maddezmom]

1. NYT- Sunni Leaders Say U.S.-Iran Talks Amount to Meddling

BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 17 — Sunni Arab political leaders on Friday denounced an agreement between the United States and Iran to hold face-to-face talks about solutions to the unrest in Iraq, saying the conversations would amount to meddling by foreign nations in Iraq's domestic affairs.

The Iraqi Consensus Front, the country's main Sunni political bloc, issued a statement calling the agreement "an obvious unjustified interference" and asserted that it was not obligated to comply with any results of the negotiations.

The Sunni leadership has long criticized Tehran's influence over Iraq's powerful Shiite religious parties, and its opposition to the talks could add another obstacle to the grinding efforts by Iraq's political leaders to forge a coalition government.

"The Iraqis in the current government should have these talks with the Iranians and discuss the level of intervention of Iran," Naseer al-Ani, a member of the Sunni Arab bloc, said in a telephone interview. "It's not up to the American ambassador to talk to Iran about Iraq."

more: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/18/international/middleeast/18iraq.html