BAGHDAD, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Iraq said on Friday it has
denied permission to a North Korean plane bound for Syria to
pass through Iraqi airspace on suspicion it could be carrying
weapons, and the United States stressed the need to prevent any
such arms transfers.
Iraq has also denied a Western intelligence report that
Iranian aircraft had flown weapons and military personnel over
Iraqi airspace to help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his
18-month-old fight against rebels seeking to end his rule.
U.S. officials said earlier this month they were questioning
Iraq about Iranian flights in Iraqi air space. On Wednesday,
U.S. Senator John Kerry threatened to review U.S. aid to Baghdad
if it does not halt such overflights to Syria.
"Continuing the Iraqi government policy to investigate the
passing of weapons to Syria through Iraqi land and air space,
the Iraqi authorities prevented a North Korean plane from going
to Syria, after they suspected that the plane was shipping
weapons," Ali al-Moussawi, media advisor to the Iraq's prime
minister, told Reuters.
Moussawi said the scheduled North Korean plane's itinerary,
which was due to travel to Syria on Saturday, had aroused Iraqi
suspicions but that there had been no contact between Baghdad
and North Korea on the issue.
He said that despite repeated requests from the Iraqi side,
the United States had not presented any evidence that Iranian
civilian aircraft were shipping arms to Syria via Iraq.
"We have told the Iranians that we could search their planes
any time, randomly, and whenever we get any evidence (that they
are shipping weapons)," he said. "We will seriously stop these
plans (from passing through Iraqi space)," he added.
BIDEN CALL TO PRIME MINISTER
Although charges that Iraq has allowed Iran to send arms to
Syria are not new, the intelligence report said the extent of
such shipments was far greater and more systematic than has been
publicly acknowledged, thanks to a deal between senior Iraqi and
Iranian officials.
The report also said Iran was dispatching trucks overland
via Iraq westwards to Syria.
The White House said on Friday that Vice President Joe Biden
discussed in a telephone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri
al-Maliki the need to prevent Iraqi territory and airspace from
being used to ship weapons to Syria.
Maliki's office said the prime minister assured Biden that
Iraq refuses to be used for any weapons transfer to either party
in the conflict in Syria.
"The prime minister expressed the Iraqi government's
dissatisfaction at allegations by some informal American circles
raising suspicions about Iraq's position towards the Syrian
crisis," the statement said.
Iraq's leaders dismiss claims they support Assad, but they
also fear a nightmare scenario: his downfall brings a hostile
Sunni Muslim regime to power and emboldens disenchanted Sunnis
in Iraq's own fragile sectarian mix.
Syria's upheaval is politically tricky for Iraq's Shi'ite
Muslim-led government. Close to Assad's ally, Shi'ite Iran,
Baghdad has resisted joining Western and fellow Arab calls for
the Syrian leader to step down while also calling for a reform
process in Syria.
Baghdad has reinforced key points along its 680-km
(420-mile) desert border with Syria.