ANAKARA – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said that we cannot acceptthat some countries — foremost the US, Israel — to interfere in theinternal affairs of Iran and Pakistan,” Erdogan told reporters beforeheading on a trip to France.

“It is turning the people against each other in these countries. It´s ashame that we have seen this done in many nations… We saw this in Iraq.”

Erdogan did not expand on the nature of the alleged meddling in Pakistanbut on Thursday the US announced a freeze in deliveries of militaryequipment and security funding until Pakistan cracks down on the militants.

The Turkish president then referred to problems in “Syria, Palestine,Egypt, Libya and Tunisia” and in African countries including Sudan and Chad.

He claimed a “game was being played” in certain countries, which he notedwere all Muslim-majority nations.

“They are taking steps towards making the plentiful underground riches inall these countries their own resources,” he said.

“Sorry, these realities should be known by our people and all people,” hesaid.

Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke on Wednesday in a callin which the Turkish leader gave his support for the return of “peace andstability” to Iran.

Erdogan on Friday praised Rouhani´s statements that the street protestswere the people´s “democratic right”, saying this had helped normalise thesituation.

Turkey´s conservative media had previously accused the US and Israel ofstoking the Iran protests as part of a purported plot to transform theMiddle East.

Erdogan has on occasion criticised Iran´s “Persian imperialism” in theMiddle East amid bouts of tension in the Turkey-Iran relationship.

But relations between Ankara and Tehran have warmed since the two countriesworked closely with Russia in the last few months to bring peace to Syria.