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Iraqi PM Arrives in Tehran

18 October 2010 22:15 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is in Iran seeking regional support to stay in office for a second term after inconclusive elections in March, APA reports quoting â€œThe Voice of Americaâ€.

Mr. Maliki met Monday with Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and is due to meet later with President Mahmoud Ahmedinajad.

He is also scheduled to travel to the Shi’ite religious center at Qom.

Mr. Maliki has been on a regional tour to seek support for his bid to stay in power, with previous stops in Syria and Jordan. His Shi’ite-dominated, Iranian-backed National Alliance placed second in parliamentary elections, edged out by the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc, led by former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.
Iran’s support could be crucial for Mr. Maliki because of its influence on Iraq’s Shi’ite majority.

Mr. Allawi has accused Iran of interfering and trying to impose its will on Iraq.

He said Sunday (on the U.S. cable network CNN’s "Fareed Zakaria GPS") that Middle East nations are "falling victim" to extremist and terrorist groups financed by Iran.

Iran’s ambassador to Iraq rejected the accusations Monday.

Hassan Danaeifar told Tehran’s ISNA news agency Mr. Allawi’s remarks are an insult to Iraqi voters.

Mr. Allawi is a secular Shi’ite and his Iraqiya coalition has drawn strong support from Sunni Muslims. But Iraqiya has struggled to form a new government.

Like Mr. Maliki, Mr. Allawi has been reaching out to Middle East leaders. He discussed Iraq’s political situation with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah last week in Riyadh.