Thursday, April 26, 2007
Draft document for Sharm el-Sheikh requires Iraq to meet benchmarks
Politics, Region
(AP) - Arab countries will demand that Iraq do more to reach out to its own disgruntled Sunni Arabs, before they pledge substantial aid to the troubled nation, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. The festering tensions between Iraq and its neighbors are complicating U.S. efforts to round up key aid, including debt relief, before a summit on May 3-4 in Egypt.
Iraq's prime minister, on a Mideast tour, said this week that his country would not tolerate other Arab countries setting conditions on Iraq. He also accused some Arab countries of still harboring extremists who infiltrate Iraq to launch attacks. But according to the draft document at the summit's core, the size and form of international aid to Iraq would be contingent on the Iraqi government's success at reaching certain benchmarks.
"The initiative is based on the pledge of the Iraqi government to implement a patch of political, security and economic commitments," states the document. "The size and the form of the international aid will be decided according to these (steps)." Arab diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said al-Maliki had been told during his travels that Arab countries would link their support to a package of demands before they gave substantial help to his government.
U.S. officials would not comment on the document to be presented at the summit. But an Arab official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said there were some disagreements over what it would say and that key participants were meeting to try to resolve them.
The key issue for Arab countries is greater Iraqi government outreach to disgruntled Sunnis in Iraq. The Sunni-led governments of the Arab world have long been suspicious of Iraq's new Shiite leadership, blaming it for fueling violence by discriminating against Sunnis. They also accuse al-Maliki's government of helping Shiite Iran extend its influence in the Middle East. At a meeting last month in Saudi Arabia, Arab states demanded Iraq change its constitution and its military to include more Sunnis and end the program that uprooted former members of Saddam Hussein's regime.
In June, al-Maliki announced a national reconciliation program that offers amnesty to members of the Sunni-led insurgency who are not involved in "terrorist activities," and amends a law that had removed senior members of Saddam's Baath Party from their jobs. But Arab countries say those steps were incomplete and never implemented.
Armed Sunni groups in Iraq and some insurgent groups have said they would not join any Iraqi political process until the current al-Maliki government falls. Other signs of Arab-Iraqi tension have arisen as the summit nears. Kuwait has been unable to muster the support in its parliament to agree to an al-Maliki request to forgive Iraq's $15 billion debt to it. Al-Maliki's claim that Arab countries are harboring extremists is another point of tension.
The Syrian official retorted that countries in the region were worried about the presence of 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, and said those killing Iraqi intellectuals in militant attacks are "not al-Qaida but other political sides." Iran said Wednesday it has still not decided whether to attend, despite urgings from its ally, the Shiite-led Iraqi government.
Iraq's prime minister, on a Mideast tour, said this week that his country would not tolerate other Arab countries setting conditions on Iraq. He also accused some Arab countries of still harboring extremists who infiltrate Iraq to launch attacks. But according to the draft document at the summit's core, the size and form of international aid to Iraq would be contingent on the Iraqi government's success at reaching certain benchmarks.
"The initiative is based on the pledge of the Iraqi government to implement a patch of political, security and economic commitments," states the document. "The size and the form of the international aid will be decided according to these (steps)." Arab diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, said al-Maliki had been told during his travels that Arab countries would link their support to a package of demands before they gave substantial help to his government.
U.S. officials would not comment on the document to be presented at the summit. But an Arab official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said there were some disagreements over what it would say and that key participants were meeting to try to resolve them.
The key issue for Arab countries is greater Iraqi government outreach to disgruntled Sunnis in Iraq. The Sunni-led governments of the Arab world have long been suspicious of Iraq's new Shiite leadership, blaming it for fueling violence by discriminating against Sunnis. They also accuse al-Maliki's government of helping Shiite Iran extend its influence in the Middle East. At a meeting last month in Saudi Arabia, Arab states demanded Iraq change its constitution and its military to include more Sunnis and end the program that uprooted former members of Saddam Hussein's regime.
In June, al-Maliki announced a national reconciliation program that offers amnesty to members of the Sunni-led insurgency who are not involved in "terrorist activities," and amends a law that had removed senior members of Saddam's Baath Party from their jobs. But Arab countries say those steps were incomplete and never implemented.
Armed Sunni groups in Iraq and some insurgent groups have said they would not join any Iraqi political process until the current al-Maliki government falls. Other signs of Arab-Iraqi tension have arisen as the summit nears. Kuwait has been unable to muster the support in its parliament to agree to an al-Maliki request to forgive Iraq's $15 billion debt to it. Al-Maliki's claim that Arab countries are harboring extremists is another point of tension.
The Syrian official retorted that countries in the region were worried about the presence of 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, and said those killing Iraqi intellectuals in militant attacks are "not al-Qaida but other political sides." Iran said Wednesday it has still not decided whether to attend, despite urgings from its ally, the Shiite-led Iraqi government.
Labels: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Nouri Al-Maliki, region, Sharm el-Sheikh, Syria
