Iraq U.N. leader meets Iranian officials

TEHRAN, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The United Nations' top official in Iraq met Wednesday in Tehran with Saeed Jalili, Iran's secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

Jalili told the U.N. Deputy Special Representative for Iraq Staffan de Mistura that Iraq was in need of political and democratic support, while de Mistura praised the "important" role Iran plays in Iraq, KUNA, the Kuwaiti news agency, reported.

De Mistura called for more cooperation between Iran and the United Nation's Iraq bureau as a means to strengthen security and democracy in the country and emphasized the importance of upcoming regional elections, KUNA reported.

De Mistura, who heads the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, was to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Ali Larijani, the speaker of the parliament, the news agency said.