Baghdad: Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is to form a panel of security ministries to weed out any evidence of Iranian interference in Iraq's affairs, a top official said.

"The Prime Minister has ordered a special panel of representatives of security ministries to document any Iranian intervention in Iraqi affairs," government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said at a news conference yesterday.

He said Iraq had experienced Iranian interference in the past but "we have also experienced a positive role from Iran."

"We are looking for hard evidence and want to present a document at a later stage," Dabbagh said later the same day.

Tehran strongly opposes the US military presence in Iraq, while Washington has repeatedly accused Iranian groups of arming and training Shiite militia groups in its neighbour.

Iran, whose ties with Washington have been severed since 1980, strongly denies the allegations.

Asked about US reports that weapons captured from Shiite fighters bore 2008 markings suggesting Iranian involvement, Dabbagh said in Arabic, "We don't have that kind of evidence."

US military spokesman Rear Admiral Patrick Driscoll told reporters in the presence of Dabbagh that the Americans fully supported talks between Iran and Iraq on curbing the sectarian violence.

"We welcome all dialogue between Iran and Iraq," he said, adding that they supported any platform that could lead to an end to violence and ensure stability in Iraq where Washington has deployed more than 158,000 troops.

Source : PTI