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Fallon says war with Iran unlikely

The commander of US military forces in the Middle East does not believe current tensions with Iran will lead to war and urges for greater emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 12:25 September 23, 2007
  • Gulf News

Baghdad: The commander of US military forces in the Middle East does not believe current tensions with Iran will lead to war and urges for greater emphasis on dialogue and diplomacy.

"This constant drum beat of conflict is what strikes me which is not helpful and not useful," Adm. William Fallon said in an interview with Al Jazeera television, which made a partial transcript available Sunday.

Fallon, the head of US Central Command, wraps up a seven-nation tour of the region on Tuesday that included stops in Persian Gulf countries, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Many of the talks with military and political leaders were dominated by worries about expanding Iranian influence and US accusations that Iran is supplying arms and training to Shiite militiamen in Iraq.

"I expect that there will be no war and that is what we ought to be working for," said Fallon during the Friday interview at Al Jazeera's headquarters in Qatar. "We should find ways through which we can bring countries to work together for the benefit of all .... It is not a good idea to be in a state of war. We ought to try and to do our utmost to create different conditions."

Al Jazeera was expected to broadcast the complete interview later this week. Fallon _ who leads US forces in Central Asia, the Middle East and the Horn of Africa _ was in Iraq on Sunday for a second days of meetings.

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