A senior Iranian source close to the discussions over the future of Iraq has revealed to the Qatari daily Al-Arab that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has asked Iranian Foreign Minister Menouchehr Mottaki to replace Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Hassan Kazemi-Qomi.
According to the source, the reason for the request is the ambassador's failure to arrange for Ahmadinejad meetings with political elements in Iraq during his recent visit there.
The paper said that many Iraqi Shi'ite figures had refused to comply with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's call to meet with Ahmadinejad, because of their objections to Iran's intervention in Iraq's affairs.
Source: Al-Arab, Qatar, March 7, 2008
