Friday, October 05, 2007
Kuwait will not accept partition of Iraq
Region
(Reuters) - Kuwait will not accept any plan to divide Iraq into federal regions and wants the United States to remain there until the country is stable, the Kuwaiti Emir said in remarks aired yesterday. "We will not accept the partition of Iraq, we consider this to be dangerous to us. It will be dangerous for the whole region," Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah told Al Arabiya television, commenting on a US Senate resolution advocating the division of Iraq into federal regions. "We are against this division and I think that even the Iraqis will not accept this." The non-binding Senate amendment, which was passed last week, says the United States should actively support a political settlement among Iraqis based on a federal system of government.
The amendment has been widely interpreted as a proposal to divide Iraq along sectarian and ethnic lines into Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish regions. Shaikh Sabah also called on the United States to keep its troops in Iraq until stability is seen on the ground. "I say it frankly, I would like the United States to withdraw its troops from tomorrow, but do you think that if they pull out there will be stability in Iraq? I think not," he said.
"We will hold the United States responsible for the fighting in Iraq, therefore, I wish that they will not leave now before they maintain a strong army in Iraq that can protect Iraq and its people." Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Monday that the resolution was well-meaning but failed to recognise the ethnic complexity of Iraqi cities and regions. The Arab League criticised the resolution and described the idea as "hostile to Arab interests."
The amendment has been widely interpreted as a proposal to divide Iraq along sectarian and ethnic lines into Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish regions. Shaikh Sabah also called on the United States to keep its troops in Iraq until stability is seen on the ground. "I say it frankly, I would like the United States to withdraw its troops from tomorrow, but do you think that if they pull out there will be stability in Iraq? I think not," he said.
"We will hold the United States responsible for the fighting in Iraq, therefore, I wish that they will not leave now before they maintain a strong army in Iraq that can protect Iraq and its people." Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Monday that the resolution was well-meaning but failed to recognise the ethnic complexity of Iraqi cities and regions. The Arab League criticised the resolution and described the idea as "hostile to Arab interests."
Labels: federalism, Hoshiyar Zebari, Iraq, Kuwait, partition, Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah
Monday, September 03, 2007
Syria to require visas for Iraqis
Region
(AP) -- Syria, home to as many as 1.5 million Iraqi refugees, has decided to require visas for Iraqis entering the country for economic, trade and educational purposes, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said Thursday. The new rules take effect Sept. 10, the ministry said in a statement on its Web site. Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari was informed about the Syrian decision by his counterpart Walid Moallem in a telephone conversation Thursday, the ministry said.
Syria's move is seen as an attempt by the Arab state to reduce the flow of more than 30,000 Iraqi refugees every month. Syria is one of the easiest countries for Iraqis to visit because they can stay up to six months then simply leave any border crossing and enter the same day to start a new six months. It was unclear how the rules would affect Iraqis who try to enter Syria simply to take refuge.
Syria and Jordan host the largest number of the more than 2 million displaced Iraqis and both governments complain of the increasing burdens on their health and education infrastructures. Jordan has made it more difficult to Iraqis to enter in the past to try reduce the flow.
During a visit to Syria earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pledged to help Syria on the increasing flow of refugees from Iraq - about 1.5 million are living in Syria, mostly in the capital, Damascus, and the suburbs. The head of the U.N. refugee agency on Thursday praised Syria and Jordan for taking in fleeing Iraqis and urged the international community to show its solidarity by providing more direct, bilateral support.
Syria's move is seen as an attempt by the Arab state to reduce the flow of more than 30,000 Iraqi refugees every month. Syria is one of the easiest countries for Iraqis to visit because they can stay up to six months then simply leave any border crossing and enter the same day to start a new six months. It was unclear how the rules would affect Iraqis who try to enter Syria simply to take refuge.
Syria and Jordan host the largest number of the more than 2 million displaced Iraqis and both governments complain of the increasing burdens on their health and education infrastructures. Jordan has made it more difficult to Iraqis to enter in the past to try reduce the flow.
During a visit to Syria earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pledged to help Syria on the increasing flow of refugees from Iraq - about 1.5 million are living in Syria, mostly in the capital, Damascus, and the suburbs. The head of the U.N. refugee agency on Thursday praised Syria and Jordan for taking in fleeing Iraqis and urged the international community to show its solidarity by providing more direct, bilateral support.
Labels: Hoshiyar Zebari, Iraqi refugees, Syria, visas, Walid Moallem
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Iran's FM sees "high possibility" of Iran-U.S. talks on Iraq security
Region, Security
(Reuters) - Iran's foreign minister said on Tuesday his country saw a "high possibility" that a second round of talks between the United States and Iran on the issue of Iraqi security would take place in the "near future". In the most high-profile meeting of the two foes in almost three decades, Iran and the United States held talks in May about the situation in Iraq. The two countries have not had diplomatic ties since shortly after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.
The comments by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to reporters are the strongest signal yet that the Islamic Republic is prepared for another round of discussions. "Iraqi officials requested Iran hold talks with the Americans and we asked them to tell the Americans to give their official request through the Swiss embassy," Mottaki said.
The Swiss embassy in Tehran handles U.S. interests in the absence of an American mission. The United States cut ties with Iran in 1980 after Iranian students stormed the embassy and took U.S. citizens hostage. "Our view ... is positive on holding a second round of talks, and with a high possibility, a second round of talks will be held in the near future," Mottaki said.
Iraq said talks would take place. "I can confirm that there will be a second round of talks in Baghdad soon. It will be at the ambassadorial level. Iraq will be there and the talks will be about Iraq's stability and security," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari told Reuters.
Washington accuses Iran of fomenting violence in Iraq while Shi'ite Iran denies backing the insurgency and accuses Washington of igniting tensions between Iraq's Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims. Analysts say Washington and Tehran are both concerned about worsening violence, pushing them to agree to meet. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said this month Iran was ready to help establish peace and security in Iraq and Zebari said at the start of July he was pressing Washington and Tehran to hold a second round of talks in Baghdad but that no date had been set.
The comments by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki to reporters are the strongest signal yet that the Islamic Republic is prepared for another round of discussions. "Iraqi officials requested Iran hold talks with the Americans and we asked them to tell the Americans to give their official request through the Swiss embassy," Mottaki said.
The Swiss embassy in Tehran handles U.S. interests in the absence of an American mission. The United States cut ties with Iran in 1980 after Iranian students stormed the embassy and took U.S. citizens hostage. "Our view ... is positive on holding a second round of talks, and with a high possibility, a second round of talks will be held in the near future," Mottaki said.
Iraq said talks would take place. "I can confirm that there will be a second round of talks in Baghdad soon. It will be at the ambassadorial level. Iraq will be there and the talks will be about Iraq's stability and security," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari told Reuters.
Washington accuses Iran of fomenting violence in Iraq while Shi'ite Iran denies backing the insurgency and accuses Washington of igniting tensions between Iraq's Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims. Analysts say Washington and Tehran are both concerned about worsening violence, pushing them to agree to meet. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said this month Iran was ready to help establish peace and security in Iraq and Zebari said at the start of July he was pressing Washington and Tehran to hold a second round of talks in Baghdad but that no date had been set.
Labels: Hoshiyar Zebari, Manouchehr Mottaki, Switzerland
Monday, July 02, 2007
Zebari presses for second round of Iran-U.S., talks while Iranians are granted access to detainees
Politics, Region
(Al Jazeera) - Hoshiyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, said he was pressing the US and Iran to hold a second round of talks in Baghdad to follow up a landmark meeting in May, but that no date has been set. Ryan Crocker, the US ambassador to Iraq, and Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, his Iranian counterpart, met in Baghdad on May 28 to discuss security in Iraq in what was the most high-profile meeting of the two arch enemies in almost three decades.
Both envoys described the talks as positive. Iraq has invited both sides to meet again but neither have publicly said they would accept. Zebari said: "We felt that there is a common interest in pursuing these talks, in having a second meeting, but no date has been agreed yet. "We are working on that. There would be a second round, I hope so."
Zebari also said on Sunday that the US embassy in Baghdad had agreed to give Iran consular access to five Iranians who were detained by US forces in northern Iraq in January. The US military says the five are linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and are backing fighters in Iraq. Iran says they are diplomats and has been requesting access to them.
Zebari said he hoped the consular visit to the detainees, who were taken seized in the Kurdish city of Arbil, would help ease tensions. There was no date for the visit, but it could happen any time, he said. The foreign minister said he understood a US military board would not review the case of the five men until October.
Both envoys described the talks as positive. Iraq has invited both sides to meet again but neither have publicly said they would accept. Zebari said: "We felt that there is a common interest in pursuing these talks, in having a second meeting, but no date has been agreed yet. "We are working on that. There would be a second round, I hope so."
Zebari also said on Sunday that the US embassy in Baghdad had agreed to give Iran consular access to five Iranians who were detained by US forces in northern Iraq in January. The US military says the five are linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and are backing fighters in Iraq. Iran says they are diplomats and has been requesting access to them.
Zebari said he hoped the consular visit to the detainees, who were taken seized in the Kurdish city of Arbil, would help ease tensions. There was no date for the visit, but it could happen any time, he said. The foreign minister said he understood a US military board would not review the case of the five men until October.
Labels: consular access, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, Hoshiyar Zebari, Iran, Iranian detainees, Ryan Crocker, U.S.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Jordan to hold conference on Iraqi refugees in July
Humanitarian
(RFE/RL) - A Jordanian Foreign Ministry official said on June 26 that the Hashemite kingdom will host a conference of countries sheltering Iraqi refugees sometime in July, AFP reported. "Regional countries, mainly Jordan, Syria, and Iraq, as well as the United Nations, will take part in the conference that will discuss ways of helping these states cope with burdens caused by Iraqi refugees," the unidentified official said.
The decision on holding the conference was made during a meeting between Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdallah Khatib and his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari, in Amman on June 26. Jordan has repeatedly warned the international community that the influx of Iraqi refugees has created a huge strain on its economy. The Jordanian Interior Ministry says the approximately 750,000 Iraqi refugees are costing Jordan an estimated $1 billion a year.
Labels: Abdallah Khatib, conference, Hoshiyar Zebari, Iraqi refugees, Jordan, Syria, U.N.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Bush administration will clamp down on PKK
Security, Region
(VOA) - The Bush administration has reaffirmed its determination to clamp down on Kurdish rebels who utilize Iraq's northern regions as a base for launching attacks against neighboring Turkey. From Washington, VOA's Michael Bowman reports. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Kurdish guerrillas operating out of northern Iraq were among the issues she discussed with her Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari, during a meeting in Washington.
"We did discuss the issues of the PKK," said Condoleezza Rice. "We discussed the importance of the trilateral security mechanism that Iraq, the United States, and Turkey instituted some time ago, and the importance of accelerating the work of the mechanism, because the Iraqis do not want - and we do not want - their territory to be used for terrorist acts against their neighbor."
The Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK, seeks autonomy for Kurds in southeastern Turkey. It is regarded as a terrorist organization by the Bush administration, which has joined with Iraqi and Turkish officials to seek ways to oust the guerrillas from northern Iraq. Turkey has recently massed troops along its border with Iraq amid continued skirmishes with PKK fighters, as well as PKK attacks on Turkish military targets.
"We did discuss the issues of the PKK," said Condoleezza Rice. "We discussed the importance of the trilateral security mechanism that Iraq, the United States, and Turkey instituted some time ago, and the importance of accelerating the work of the mechanism, because the Iraqis do not want - and we do not want - their territory to be used for terrorist acts against their neighbor."
The Kurdistan Workers' Party, known as the PKK, seeks autonomy for Kurds in southeastern Turkey. It is regarded as a terrorist organization by the Bush administration, which has joined with Iraqi and Turkish officials to seek ways to oust the guerrillas from northern Iraq. Turkey has recently massed troops along its border with Iraq amid continued skirmishes with PKK fighters, as well as PKK attacks on Turkish military targets.
Labels: Condoleezza Rice, Hoshiyar Zebari, PKK
Friday, May 18, 2007
Detained Iranians may be freed next month
Iran
(Reuters) - Five Iranians detained by U.S. forces in northern Iraq could be freed within the next month, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Friday. Washington says the five men, detained in January, are linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and were backing militants in Iraq.
Iran insists they are diplomats, wants them freed and has requested access. Mottaki said Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, who visited Tehran in April, had indicated they could be freed by June 21. "In Mr Zebari's trip, he said that (those detained) will be released in Khordad," Mottaki said, referring to the Iranian month of Khordad, which runs from May 22 to June 21.
Mottaki added that Zebari had said he was quoting U.S. officials in his comments. Mottaki said the five detainees had expressed a wish to meet Iranian consular officials before seeing family members. "Fifteen days ago, it was discussed that the families could meet their arrested loved ones and even some preliminary work was done," Mottaki told reporters in Tehran at a meeting with family members. He did not say who the discussions were with.
"But our colleagues in detention said that we prefer to have a meeting with consulate officials first and then with our families," he said. Mottaki repeated Iran's position that the detention was illegal and said he hoped the men would be released soon. "I told Mr Zebari that even one hour of illegally keeping them in detention is not justified," he said.Iranian family members voiced fears about their detained loves ones during the meeting with Mottaki.
Officials named the other three detained as Bagher Ghabishavi, Moussa Chegini and Abbas Hatami Kasavand. Iranian and U.S. officials are to meet in Iraq on May 28 to discuss security in the country, in a rare face-to-face meeting between the two rivals which have not had diplomatic relations since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution. The five Iranians were detained in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil. It is not clear where they are being held, but the U.S. military says they have been visited twice by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Iran insists they are diplomats, wants them freed and has requested access. Mottaki said Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, who visited Tehran in April, had indicated they could be freed by June 21. "In Mr Zebari's trip, he said that (those detained) will be released in Khordad," Mottaki said, referring to the Iranian month of Khordad, which runs from May 22 to June 21.
Mottaki added that Zebari had said he was quoting U.S. officials in his comments. Mottaki said the five detainees had expressed a wish to meet Iranian consular officials before seeing family members. "Fifteen days ago, it was discussed that the families could meet their arrested loved ones and even some preliminary work was done," Mottaki told reporters in Tehran at a meeting with family members. He did not say who the discussions were with.
"But our colleagues in detention said that we prefer to have a meeting with consulate officials first and then with our families," he said. Mottaki repeated Iran's position that the detention was illegal and said he hoped the men would be released soon. "I told Mr Zebari that even one hour of illegally keeping them in detention is not justified," he said.Iranian family members voiced fears about their detained loves ones during the meeting with Mottaki.
Officials named the other three detained as Bagher Ghabishavi, Moussa Chegini and Abbas Hatami Kasavand. Iranian and U.S. officials are to meet in Iraq on May 28 to discuss security in the country, in a rare face-to-face meeting between the two rivals which have not had diplomatic relations since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution. The five Iranians were detained in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil. It is not clear where they are being held, but the U.S. military says they have been visited twice by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Labels: Abbas Hatami Kasavand, Bagher Ghabishavi, Hoshiyar Zebari, Iran, Iranian detainees, Khordad, Manouchehr Mottaki, Moussa Chegini, Revolutionary Guards
