Rafsanjani Views US Pullout as Necessity for Iraq's Security, Independence

TEHRAN,May 18 (FNA)- Chairman of Iran's Expediency Council Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said withdrawal of the US troops from Iraq would pave the ground for the establishment of security in the occupied country.
Speaking in a meeting with the visiting Head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, Ammar al-Hakim, here in Tehran on Tuesday, Rafsanjani said full transfer of sovereignty and responsibility of affairs to the Iraqi people would pave the ground for the country's independence and security.

He further urged the different Iraqi groups to strengthen unity and solidarity, and stressed, "The different Iraqi groups should maintain unity to take more effective steps in the reconstruction and development of their country."

Elsewhere, the two-time president of the Islamic Republic said the current Islamic uprisings in the region have resulted from the vigilance of the Muslim nations, "and proved that occupation and colonialism are not tolerated in any country".

"Occupiers of Iraq will be forced to escape the quagmire of Iraq sooner or later," he continued.

Rafsanjani also lambasted the western powers' double-standard approach towards uprisings in the region, and mentioned that such a biased attitude reveals that arrogant powers prioritize their interests over human rights issues, freedom and democracy.

He said a look at the oppressions made against the Bahraini people substantiates this fact.