Iraq will persuade neighboring countries to tighten the control on the borders to ward off terrorists into the war-torn country, the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) said on Wednesday.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari will start in coming days a tour to six neighboring countries, including Iran and Syria, which were blamed by Washington for acquiescing on terrorists infiltrating into Iraq, said Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, rotating IGC president in December.

In a statement issued earlier, the US-backed governing council said a number of foreign fighters were proved to have entered Iraq to launch terror attacks.

A series of deadly bombings have rocked Iraq in the past months, during which over 150 civilians were killed and hundreds of others injured.

According to William Darley, a US spokesman, this month has witnessed around 40 terror attacks against embassies, police stations, hotels and other institutions.

On Monday, a suicide car bomb shook the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Baghdad, and four police stations in different directions were attacked almost simultaneously.

At least 35 people were killed in the coordinated attacks and around 230 others were wounded.

A fifth bombing attempt at a police station was foiled as the suicide bomber was gunned down and arrested by the Iraqi police before he could blow up a Land cruiser packed with 200 kg TNT.

The detainee could be a Yemeni holding a Syrian passport, again raising the concern that foreign fighters were behind the more lethal and organized attacks in Iraq.

(Xinhua News Agency October 30, 2003)