"Shaalan's remarks are baseless and unwise. He is trying to pin the blame for Iraq's internal problems on others and is also seeking to distort the image of Iraq's neighbors through such repetitive remarks," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Asefiwas quoted as saying in a statement.

    Asefi noted that Iraqi officials have previously stated that Shaalan's remarks depicted no official position.

    "He is surely not in a position to talk on the behalf of the Arab world since such remarks would only distort the image of the Arab world," Asefi said.

    Asefi also stressed that Tehran had always been calling for a safe and stable Iraq and had always moved in that direction."Peace and security in Iraq would benefit the Iraqi people andall regional states," the spokesman said.

    The Iraqi Defense Minister said Wednesday that Iran was interfering in Iraq's internal affairs, describing Iran as Iraq's "most dangerous enemy" and a "source of terrorism".

    Iranian government spokesman Abdollah Ramezanzadeh has refuted Shaalan's allegation, saying it was for domestic consumption.

    Iran has been keeping a close eye on the developments in its western neighbor since the downfall of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.

    However, it has been repeatedly accused by the United States andsome Iraqi officers of interfering into the internal affairs of the war-torn country with its influence upon the Iraqi Shiite Muslims.Enditem