الرئيسية
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and REBECCA SANTANA, AP
BAGHDAD (AP) — Weeks before the U.S. pullout, Iraq's prime
minister confidently predicts that his country will achieve stability
and remain independent of its giant neighbor Iran even without an
American troop presence.
Nouri al-Maliki also warned on Saturday
of civil war in Iran's ally Syria if Bashar Assad falls — a view that
puts him closer to Tehran's position and at odds with Washington. The
foreign policy pronouncement indicates that Iraq is emerging from the
shadows of U.S. influence in a way unforeseen when U.S.-led forces
invaded eight years ago to topple Saddam Hussein.
"The situation
in Syria is dangerous," al-Maliki told The Associated Press during an
interview at his office in a former Saddam-era palace in Baghdad's Green
Zone. "Things should be dealt with appropriately so that the spring in
Syria does not turn into a winter."
The Obama administration has
been outspoken in its criticism of Assad's bloody crackdown on protests
that the U.N. says has killed more than 4,000 people so far, the
bloodiest in a wave of uprisings that have been dubbed the Arab Spring.
Iraq
has been much more circumspect and abstained from key Arab League votes
suspending Syria's membership and imposing sanctions on the country.
That has raised concern that Baghdad is succumbing to Iranian pressure
to protect Assad's regime. Tehran is Syria's main backer.
Al-Maliki
insisted that Iraq will chart its own policies in the future according
to national interests, not the dictates of Iran or any other country.
Some U.S. officials have suggested that Iranian influence in Iraq would inevitably grow once American troops depart.
Both
countries have Shiite majorities and are dominated by Shiite political
groups. Many Iraqi politicians spent time in exile in Iran under
Saddam's repressive regime, and one of al-Maliki's main allies —
anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr — is believed to spend most of his
time in Iran.
"Iraq is not a follower of any country," al-Maliki
said. He pointed out several areas in which Iraq had acted against
Iran's desires, including the signing of the security agreement in 2008
that required all U.S. forces to leave Iraq by the end of this year.
Iran had been pushing for all American troops to be out of the country
even sooner.
"Through our policies, Iraq was not and will not be a follower of another country's policies," he said.
But
he also took pains to emphasize that Iraq did want to maintain good
relations with Iran as the two countries share extensive cultural,
economical and religious ties.
"Clearly, we are no enemy to Iran
and we do not accept that some who have problems with Iran would use us
as a battlefield. Some want to fight Iran with Iraqi resources as has
happened in the past. We do not allow Iran to use us against others that
Iran has problems with, and we do not allow others to use us against
Iran," he said.
The prime minister defended his country's stance
when it comes to how to address the instability roiling neighboring
Syria right now.
The U.N.'s top human rights official said this
week that Syria is in a state of civil war and that more than 4,000
people have been killed since March.
Al-Maliki said Iraq believes
the Syrian people's rights should be protected and that his government
has told the Syrian regime that the age of one party and one sect
running the country is over. Syria is ruled by a minority Alawite
regime, an offshoot of Shiism, that rules over a Sunni Muslim majority.
The
Iraqi prime minister even said that members of the Syrian opposition
had recently asked to come to Iraq, and that his government would meet
with them. But he distanced himself from calls for Assad's ouster,
warning that could plunge the country into civil war.
"The
killing or removal of President Bashar in any way will explode into an
internal struggle between two groups and this will have an impact on the
region," al-Maliki said.
"My opinion — I also lived in Syria for
more than 16 years — is that it will end with civil war and this civil
war will lead to alliances in the region. Because we are a country that
suffered from the civil war of a sectarian background, we fear for the
future of Syria and the whole region," he said.
Al-Maliki also
insisted his forces were ready to take over security during a
wide-ranging discussion on where his country stands ahead of the Dec. 31
departure of all American troops.
"Nothing has changed with the
withdrawal of the American forces from Iraq on the security level
because basically it has been in our hands," he said.
The U.S.
withdrawal has occurred in stages, with the American military pulling
out of the cities in 2008, leaving the soldiers largely confined to
bases as Iraqi security forces took the lead. About 13,000 U.S. troops
are still in the country, down from a one-time high of about 170,000.
Al-Maliki said he was grateful to the United States for overthrowing Saddam.
"We
appreciate that, no doubt," the prime minister said, adding he was not
worried about a resumption of the type of sectarian warfare that pushed
his own country to the brink of civil war in the years following the
2003 U.S.-led invasion.
On the contrary, he said violence would
decline because the Americans' departure would remove one of the main
reasons for attacks.
"What was taking place during the presence
of the American forces will decrease in the period after the
withdrawal," he said. "Some people find a pretext in the presence of the
American forces to justify their acts, but now what justification will
they come up with?"
___
Associated Press writer Sameer N. Yacoub contributed to this report.
BAGHDAD (AP) — Weeks before the U.S. pullout, Iraq's prime
minister confidently predicts that his country will achieve stability
and remain independent of its giant neighbor Iran even without an
American troop presence.
Nouri al-Maliki also warned on Saturday
of civil war in Iran's ally Syria if Bashar Assad falls — a view that
puts him closer to Tehran's position and at odds with Washington. The
foreign policy pronouncement indicates that Iraq is emerging from the
shadows of U.S. influence in a way unforeseen when U.S.-led forces
invaded eight years ago to topple Saddam Hussein.
"The situation
in Syria is dangerous," al-Maliki told The Associated Press during an
interview at his office in a former Saddam-era palace in Baghdad's Green
Zone. "Things should be dealt with appropriately so that the spring in
Syria does not turn into a winter."
The Obama administration has
been outspoken in its criticism of Assad's bloody crackdown on protests
that the U.N. says has killed more than 4,000 people so far, the
bloodiest in a wave of uprisings that have been dubbed the Arab Spring.
Iraq
has been much more circumspect and abstained from key Arab League votes
suspending Syria's membership and imposing sanctions on the country.
That has raised concern that Baghdad is succumbing to Iranian pressure
to protect Assad's regime. Tehran is Syria's main backer.
Al-Maliki
insisted that Iraq will chart its own policies in the future according
to national interests, not the dictates of Iran or any other country.
Some U.S. officials have suggested that Iranian influence in Iraq would inevitably grow once American troops depart.
Both
countries have Shiite majorities and are dominated by Shiite political
groups. Many Iraqi politicians spent time in exile in Iran under
Saddam's repressive regime, and one of al-Maliki's main allies —
anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr — is believed to spend most of his
time in Iran.
"Iraq is not a follower of any country," al-Maliki
said. He pointed out several areas in which Iraq had acted against
Iran's desires, including the signing of the security agreement in 2008
that required all U.S. forces to leave Iraq by the end of this year.
Iran had been pushing for all American troops to be out of the country
even sooner.
"Through our policies, Iraq was not and will not be a follower of another country's policies," he said.
But
he also took pains to emphasize that Iraq did want to maintain good
relations with Iran as the two countries share extensive cultural,
economical and religious ties.
"Clearly, we are no enemy to Iran
and we do not accept that some who have problems with Iran would use us
as a battlefield. Some want to fight Iran with Iraqi resources as has
happened in the past. We do not allow Iran to use us against others that
Iran has problems with, and we do not allow others to use us against
Iran," he said.
The prime minister defended his country's stance
when it comes to how to address the instability roiling neighboring
Syria right now.
The U.N.'s top human rights official said this
week that Syria is in a state of civil war and that more than 4,000
people have been killed since March.
Al-Maliki said Iraq believes
the Syrian people's rights should be protected and that his government
has told the Syrian regime that the age of one party and one sect
running the country is over. Syria is ruled by a minority Alawite
regime, an offshoot of Shiism, that rules over a Sunni Muslim majority.
The
Iraqi prime minister even said that members of the Syrian opposition
had recently asked to come to Iraq, and that his government would meet
with them. But he distanced himself from calls for Assad's ouster,
warning that could plunge the country into civil war.
"The
killing or removal of President Bashar in any way will explode into an
internal struggle between two groups and this will have an impact on the
region," al-Maliki said.
"My opinion — I also lived in Syria for
more than 16 years — is that it will end with civil war and this civil
war will lead to alliances in the region. Because we are a country that
suffered from the civil war of a sectarian background, we fear for the
future of Syria and the whole region," he said.
Al-Maliki also
insisted his forces were ready to take over security during a
wide-ranging discussion on where his country stands ahead of the Dec. 31
departure of all American troops.
"Nothing has changed with the
withdrawal of the American forces from Iraq on the security level
because basically it has been in our hands," he said.
The U.S.
withdrawal has occurred in stages, with the American military pulling
out of the cities in 2008, leaving the soldiers largely confined to
bases as Iraqi security forces took the lead. About 13,000 U.S. troops
are still in the country, down from a one-time high of about 170,000.
Al-Maliki said he was grateful to the United States for overthrowing Saddam.
"We
appreciate that, no doubt," the prime minister said, adding he was not
worried about a resumption of the type of sectarian warfare that pushed
his own country to the brink of civil war in the years following the
2003 U.S.-led invasion.
On the contrary, he said violence would
decline because the Americans' departure would remove one of the main
reasons for attacks.
"What was taking place during the presence
of the American forces will decrease in the period after the
withdrawal," he said. "Some people find a pretext in the presence of the
American forces to justify their acts, but now what justification will
they come up with?"
___
Associated Press writer Sameer N. Yacoub contributed to this report.
