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Iraqi PM Meets Iranian President, Anti-US Cleric

19 October 2010 02:14 (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 Iranâ€™s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and greeted President Mahmoud Ahmadinajad. He later met a main Iraqi political figure, anti-American Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has been living intermittently in Iran.
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 Shiâ€™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.
Iranâ€™s support could be crucial for Mr. Maliki because of its influence on Iraqâ€™s Shiâ€™ite majority.
Mr. Allawi has accused Iran of interfering and trying to impose its will on Iraq.
He said Middle East nations are â€œfalling victimâ€ to extremist and terrorist groups financed by Iran.
Iranâ€™s ambassador to Iraq rejected the accusations Monday.
Hassan Danaeifar told Tehranâ€™s ISNA news agency Mr. Allawiâ€™s remarks are an insult to Iraqi voters.
Mr. Allawi is a secular Shiâ€™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 Iraqâ€™s political situation with Saudi Arabiaâ€™s King Abdullah last week in Riyadh.