Mr. Talebani, who arrived in Tehran Monday night, made the call after his meeting with Hojjatoleslam Mehdi Karrobi, the Speaker of the Iranian Majles, or Parliament.

Mr. Talebani arrived here prior to the meeting, on 15 January, in the Kurdish city of Erbil, the Headquarter of Mr. Mas’ood Barzani, the leader of the rival Democratic Party of (Iraqi) Kurdistan (DPK), of the first session of the Follow up and Coordination Committee of the anti-Saddam Iraqis.

The 65-members Committee had been formed painfully at the end of an all Iraqi opposition groups that was held in London between 14 to 17 December and at which had participated the 350 delegates from more than 50 groups fighting against the Iraqi dictator, including the two main Kurdish parties, the Iraqi National Congress and the Tehran-based Supreme Assembly f the Islamic Revolution of Iraq (SAIRI), led by Ayatollah Baqer al Hakim.

The London meeting also decided that the future Iraqi government would be federal, democratic, pluralistic, comprising all the ethnics, religions and political forces of the nation.

Referring to that conference, Mr. Talebani said, other activities of the meeting would be the appointment of the executive, diplomatic, economic and other sub-committees, whose work would be essential in establishment of new political system in post-Saddam transitional era in Iraq."

In his first meeting with a senior Iranian official, Mr. Talebani, who maintains close traditional relations with Tehran, briefed Mr. Karrobi on the ongoing developments of Iraq as well as on the work of the Coordination and Follow up Committee, which, during the transitional post-Saddam period, must oversee relations between Baghdad with all Iraqi forces as well as with foreign nations.

Though the official policy of the Islamic Republic is a stern "no" to the American attack on Iraq and maintaining a so-called "neutral activity", but Mr. Kamal Kharrazi, Iran’s Foreign Affairs Minister hinted Sunday that Tehran would not oppose the activities of Iraqi oppositions from the Iranian territory.

Observers said this is an important shift in the Iranian policy towards the Iraqi crisis, as until now, the official line was not to allow Iraqi opposition to launch any activity against Saddam Hoseyn from the Iranian territory, a decision that had angered Mr. Hakim.

Political analysts speculated that Iran might have softened its stand on Iraq on suggestions from both Kurdish and Shi’a leaders who also have close relations with Washington.

At the same time, a reformist lawmaker announced that a planned visit by Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister Naji Sabri to Tehran was cancelled.

"In this sensitive situation, and as the count-down to the end of Saddam's regime has started, and following protests from deputies, Naji Sabri's visit was cancelled", the independent Iranian Students News Agency ISNA quoted Mr. Nooreddin Pirmo'azzen as having announced.

The cancellation was the result of a warning from deputies to the Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister that if he goes ahead with the invitation, they would would call for his resignation.

A controversial visit by the Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister to Tehran in September last year ended with him leaving Tehran empty handed.

Kharazi is already under pressure from MPs, and a week ago was summoned to parliament to explain his allegedly "passive" handling of a dispute on the boundaries of the resource-rich Caspian sea

Karroubi hailed PUK's stance on the Iraqi issue and hoped that "all the combatant and noble Iraqi forces will join hands to establish peace and stability" in that country, the official news agency IRNA reported from the meeting.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran favors a powerful and united Iraq, representing all ethnic groups and ideas of that country, he added.

Upon arrival on Monday in the western Iranian city of Kermanshah, which is home to Iranian Kurds, he said that US would "certainly attack Iraq if Saddam did not voluntarily step down", according to IRNA.

"We have made two proposals to Saddam Hussein to avoid a war. He must either abandon dictatorship or accept the formation of a coalition government through free elections and the establishment of a new parliament to devise a new constitution", Talebani said.

Commenting on Saddam Hussain's Monday morning comments where he accused the United Nations Monitoring, Observation, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) of "obvious espionage" charges, Talebani said, "If they are spies, why did Saddam accept their presence in Iraq, and why did he allow them even to inspect his own bedrooms?"

Mr. Talebani was in Tehran just days before the London meeting, alongside of his archrival, Mas’ood Barzani and Mr. Ahmad Chalabi. The three met with Ayatollah Hakim as well as with senior Iranian officials.

Talebani also rejected Turkish press reports that he had suggested that Ankara took over the control of Iraqi Kurdish cities of Kerkook and soleymaniyeh.

"The Iraqi Kurds have not compromised with Turkey over entrance of that country's army to northern parts of Iraq", he told IRNA.

Turkey's "Melliyat" daily in its Sunday edition had claimed that a group of Turkish military forces had already taken position in Iraqi Kurdistan's Chuwarkorna region, based on a proposition made by Talebani, exerting their control over the sensitive and strategic regions of Karkouk and Sulaymaniyyeh. ENDS BARZANI IN TEHRAN 7103