CAIRO: Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari called on Egypt and the Arab nations to maintain an effective political role with the incumbent Iraqi government in a press conference held Sunday with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Abul Gheit prior to the December 5th meeting of ministers from Iraq’s neighboring countries.
He added that the Arab initiative already underway and led by the Arab League should continue and be invigorated further.
For his part Abul Gheit said Egypt called for the stopping of foreign meddling in Iraq to protect its territorial integrity. Zebari concurred stating “We are moving slowly and there is also clear regional intervention but there is also an Iraqi determination andIraqi leaders ready to confront this wave.there is no group that supports partitioning of Iraq which will remain united according to its constitution, according to AP.
Abul Gheit stated that Egypt’s intention in hosting this ministerial meeting was to look for ways in supporting the current Iraqi government in imposing itself on the Iraqi scene according to Al Ahram newspaper.
Abul Gheit had previously said that the meeting aimed to achieve a unified Arab stance concerning Iraq, as well as showing Arab solidarity to the war torn country. Mainly, it would call for an end to the sectarian violence in Iraq.
Zebari also commented on the recent statements of Sheikh Harith Al-Dhari, a Sunni cleric and secretary general of the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS), who had called for a boycott of the present Iraqi government, saying “Al-Dhari s issue has been inflated. He has fixed ideas and opinions and never changed.
“He does not represent all the Sunnis because there are active Sunni leaders in the government and it is hard to say he will have a positive role in the reconciliation process. We have noticed his rigged attitudes.
Nabil Abdel-Fatah, an expert at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies said Al-Dhari’s please effectively fell on deaf ears.
Al-Dhari, secretary general of the Association of Muslim Scholars, warned that the level of violence in Iraq could escalate and spread throughout the region. “I call on the Arab states and the Arab League and the United Nations to stop this government and withdraw its support from it. Otherwise, the disaster will occur and the turmoil will happen in Iraq and other countries, he said in Cairo last week.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry has issued a warrant for Al-Dhari’s arrest, accusing him of inciting terrorism and sectarian violence. Al-Dhari is currently in Cairo meeting with officials.
Abdel-Fatah believes that Al-Dhari’s call will be ignored due to the geo-political realities of the region.
“Al-Dhari is making these statements in an attempt to be the political voice of the Sunnis in Iraq, he told The Daily Star Egypt, “but his voice will be an empty one because his call comes at a time when Arab dealings with the Iraqi government are at a peak in an effort to alleviate sectarian strife in the country.
Abdel-Fatah added that Al-Dhari’s statements do not reflect the current political climate.
He told The Daily Star Egypt, “Many Arab countries have organic ties with the United States. Therefore they will not sever relations with the Iraqi government without US approval. In fact, Abdel-Fatah said, Arab nations must support the incumbent Iraqi government due to their close ties with the United States.
In any case, sectarian strife in Iraq will not end, according to Abdel-Fatah, because the country has become a vessel for regional and international interests just like Lebanon.
