(dpa) - The withdrawal of US and other Western forces from Iraq would be the only way to enable peace and security in Iraq and Persian Gulf region, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Monday in Baghdad.
"The world powers whose forces came (to Iraq) should leave the region and let regional governments do their job. Since the occupation, the people of Iraq have seen nothing but destruction and division," Ahmadinejad said on Iranian TV from Baghdad.
He said that before the US invasion, the region had never witnessed terrorism and accused the US of provoking terrorist groups to get active in Iraq and trying to sow discord between Shiite and Sunni Muslims.
"The people and their elected governments in the region, including Iraq, are quite capable of running their affairs by themselves and without the presence and interference of outsiders," Ahmadinejad said.
The Iranian president once again categorically denied US accusations that Iran was supporting and arming Iraqi insurgents and reiterated that Iran's firm wish was to see peace and stability in Iraq.
"The US officials just talk too much. For us their accusations are not important as they are solely based on false information," Ahmadinejad said.
"But I would still like to give the US a friendly piece of advice. Accusing others for one's own failures has never solved any problems," he said.