IRNA � Iraqi Foreign Minister Ebrahim al-Jafari said on Monday that attack on Iran�s consulate in Basra by a group of mercenaries was not an attack on Iran but on Iraq as well.


In a televised speech on Monday, he added that the Iraqi nation and government should not be blamed for wrong moves by a few people.

�Attackers were a few mercenaries who tried to mar Iraq� image and damage Tehran-Baghdad relations,� he said.

Iran-Iraq ties are rooted in historic and geographical realities and there are at least 1,200 kilometers of common borders between the two countries and they also boast of common interests.

They mutually respect each other, he went on to say.

Al-Jafari further noted that Iranian pilgrims come to visit holy shrines in Iraq , and this has established good relations between the two countries.

Even the protestors are not responsible for the destructive moves because they staged rallies to express their demands, al-Jafari said.