Shiite leader condemns nuclear summit in Iraq

Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr has lashed out at the decision to host a meeting between Iran and Western powers in Baghdad, saying that associating Iraq with such matters could negatively affect the country's stability. Officials from Tehran and the P5+1 -- consisting of Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- have extended their talks in the Iraqi capital to reach a solution to a crisis over Iran's nuclear programme. Western powers and Israel suspect Iran is secretly developing a nuclear arsenal, while Tehran insists that its nuclear research is for peaceful purposes. Sadr's information bureau in Najaf issued a statement in which he stressed the necessity of maintaining Iraq's distance from any conflict between foreign powers, saying Baghdad's involvement in the Syrian crisis and other regional issues was now threatening to engulf the country. The leader of the Sadrist movement ended his statement by urging the Iraqi government, led by prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, to take care of the country's interior problems before getting involved in regional issues.