TEHRAN, July 31 (AFP) - Iranian Foriegn Minister Kamal Kharazi said Saturday he was ignoring allegations by Iraq's defence minister that the Islamic republic was interfering there.
"These remarks show the disorganisation inside Iraq. We recommend that Iraqi officials define who is the spokesperson of their government," the minister said in a news conference.
"We only pay attention to high-ranking officials in Iraq, and we hope the Iraqis can solve their problems soon," Kharazi said.
In remarks published last week by The Washington Post, Iraqi Defence Minister Hazem al-Shaalan said he had seen "clear interference in Iraqi issues by Iran," which he claimed "interferes in order to kill democracy."
He then told the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper that he hoped Iran understood a message he said was "from the Iraqi people to Iran" and "a solidly secular country supported by the (other) Arab countries."
Iran has already it rejected Shaalan's allegations, with an official government spokesman here describing his statements as "contrary to the official message we get from Baghdad".
In his statements to the Post, Shaalan had also accused Iran of taking over some Iraqi border posts and sending spies and saboteurs into Iraq.
He said former fighters in Afghanistan had been helped by Iran to get into Iraq and that Iran was supporting "terrorism and bringing enemies into Iraq".
Iran has consistently denied allegations it has supported anti-US insurgents in Iraq.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said during a surprise visit to Baghdad on Friday that Iran was seeking influence among Shiite Muslims in the south and warned the Washington viewed this with "disfavour."
"Iran has the potential of playing a helpful role, but we are uneasy about some of the actions Iran has been taking in the south and the influence it is trying to gain in the south," he said.