"Should justice prevail, there will be no aggression or occupation. We declare that if the Iraqi nation's rights are recognized, if it is respected and the occupiers leave Iraq, then all problems would be resolved," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quoted by Iranian television as telling the residents of the Kerman province.
The Iranian leader's statement was voiced shortly before an international conference on Iraq, to be held May 3-4 in Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt.
In turn, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, who will head the Iranian delegation in Egypt, said he hopes the international conference on Iraq's rehabilitation will establish the conditions grounds for the withdrawal of occupation forces.
U.S. President George Bush vetoed a congressional bill linking $124.2 billion in additional military funding to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by a deadline of April 1, 2008.
Speaking at the White House during a special televised broadcast Bush called the congressional bill unacceptable, adding that it was only the second time in six and a half years that he had to use the presidential right to veto.
"Setting a deadline for the withdrawal [of troops] would be setting a date for failure," he said, adding that it would demoralize Iraqis and give a signal to the Middle East that America will not keep its commitments.
The presidential veto means that the bill, which went through Congress 51 against 46 votes April 25, will now have to go back to Congress. Bush invited congressional leaders to the White House Wednesday to discuss details for a new bill appealing for legislators to decide on additional troop funding "as soon as possible."
Over $100 billion of the total $124.2 billion will be allocated to current military and auxiliary operations, with $3 billion being spent on new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAP) to defend U.S. troops from roadside mines used by militants in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Pentagon also plans to allocate $25.5 billion on military hardware: nine UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, four CH-47 heavy-lift helicopters, one CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, three F/A-18 fighter aircraft, one EA-18G electronic spy craft.
At preliminary consultations in Sharm-el-Sheikh, the participants of the prospective meeting in Egypt agreed not to include the troops withdrawal item into a draft final statement, the Egyptian news agency MENA quoted a high-ranking diplomat as saying.
Earlier, an Iraqi government representative said Baghdad is against including the item into the statement because foreign troop withdrawal is only possible after Iraqi security forces can take responsibility for law and order.
Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, permanent UN Security Council members and G8 members will attend the meeting.
