TEHRAN, 2 December 2004 — A regional conference on security in Iraq ended here yesterday with Baghdad and neighboring governments making a collective call for greater cooperation against the insurgency in Iraq.

But the two-day conference of interior ministers from Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, Turkey, Jordan and Egypt resulted in few concrete proposals after Tehran and Baghdad traded bitter recriminations over who exactly was responsible for the persistent violence.

The final statement “stressed the sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Iraq as well as on the right of the people of Iraq to a secure and stable life.”

Ministers also “expressed their readiness to assist in the electoral process”, due to culminate in key national elections scheduled for Jan. 30.

On border security, a sensitive topic in the light of allegations from Iraq and the United States that Iran has been allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq, the statement only “stressed the need for the enhancement of mutual cooperation”.

It also said conference participants “supported the fight against the illegal movement of capital supporting the terrorist activities” as well as the “smuggling of goods, arms and narcotic drugs”.

And while the statement “condemned terrorist acts”, it also “condemned the sacrilege of religious sites” — an apparent concession to Iran’s anger of US-led attacks on Shiite rebels across the border in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.