Iran says Algerian government involved in killings

Iran has accused the Algerian authorities of involvement in the wave of massacres blamed on Islamic militants.

The Speaker of Parliament, Ali Akbar Nategh-Nuri,said the government was killing innocent Muslims.The comment follows an angry exchange between Algeria and Italy after the Italian and Iranian foreign ministers discussed the Algerian situation on the telephone.

Algeria, which has accused Iran of supporting the Islamic militants, protested that Italy was interfering in its internal affairs.

But the Italians replied that Iran's position on the killings in Algeria coincide with the views of theEU, which is sending a delegation to Algiers to discuss the massacres.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service