Thursday, September 20, 2007
LUKoil to have advatage in West Qurna-2 tender
Oil
(Bloomberg, AP) - LUKoil will have an advantage in a new tender for the West Qurna-2 field in Iraq, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said, Interfax reported Wednesday. LUKoil's investments and work at the field will be taken into consideration should the oil producer bid, Zebari said, Interfax reported. The minister invited LUKoil chief executive Vagit Alekperov to Iraq, Interfax said.
LUKoil has been lobbying Iraq to recognize the West Qurna-2 contract that it signed with former dictator Saddam Hussein's government. LUKoil wants to develop the field with shareholder ConocoPhillips. LUKoil's 1997 contract to drill at West Qurna-2, which has an estimated reserve capacity of 4 billion barrels, has been hamstrung under the new authorities in Iraq. The Iraqi parliament is expected to pass a new law that will review previous oil contracts and open the way to a wave of tenders to tap Iraq's enormous oil wealth.
LUKoil has been lobbying Iraq to recognize the West Qurna-2 contract that it signed with former dictator Saddam Hussein's government. LUKoil wants to develop the field with shareholder ConocoPhillips. LUKoil's 1997 contract to drill at West Qurna-2, which has an estimated reserve capacity of 4 billion barrels, has been hamstrung under the new authorities in Iraq. The Iraqi parliament is expected to pass a new law that will review previous oil contracts and open the way to a wave of tenders to tap Iraq's enormous oil wealth.
Labels: ConocoPhillips, Hoshyar Zibari, LUKoil, oil, tender, Vagit Alekperov, West Qurna-2
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Czech republic to help build a new Iraq
International
(VOI) – Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek expressed his government's willingness to help build a new Iraq, a statement from the Czech Foreign Ministry reported on Monday. During his reception of Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari in Prague on Monday morning, Topolanek said that bilateral relations with Iraq are a top priority in the Czech political agenda, according to the statement that the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) received.
"The Czech government is following up on the developments of events in Iraq and is ready to continue offering help to the Iraqi government to build a new Iraq…," the statement indicated. Zibari expressed his government's gratitude for "the support offered by the Czech government with regards to providing stability and security, and training Iraqi security forces…," the statement said.
Describing the Czech government's solidarity with Iraq as a "long-term investment that serves the interests of the people of both countries," Zibari gave a detailed overview of recent developments in the political and security situation in Iraq, and expressed his government's keenness to settle unresolved issues.
"The Czech government is following up on the developments of events in Iraq and is ready to continue offering help to the Iraqi government to build a new Iraq…," the statement indicated. Zibari expressed his government's gratitude for "the support offered by the Czech government with regards to providing stability and security, and training Iraqi security forces…," the statement said.
Describing the Czech government's solidarity with Iraq as a "long-term investment that serves the interests of the people of both countries," Zibari gave a detailed overview of recent developments in the political and security situation in Iraq, and expressed his government's keenness to settle unresolved issues.
Labels: Czech republic, Hoshyar Zibari, Iraq, Mirek Topolanek
Monday, September 10, 2007
Iranian diplomat hints at military intervention in Iraq
Region
(New York Times) - In a sharp escalation of a dispute over border fighting, an official Iranian delegation at a diplomatic conference here warned Sunday that if the Iraqi government could not stop militants from crossing into Iran and carrying out attacks, the Iranian authorities would respond militarily. The Iranian delegation, led by a deputy foreign minister, Mohammad R. Baqiri, also charged that the United States was supporting groups believed to be mounting attacks from Iraqi territory in the Kurdish north.
Mr. Baqiri did not specifically say that Iran would enter Iraq militarily, but his statements, couched in diplomatic terms, raised the clear possibility that Iranian forces could cross the border in pursuit of the militants. But however carefully phrased his statements, many of those distinctions are likely to be lost on hundreds of families on the Iraqi side who have been driven from their villages by weeks of intermittent shelling from Iran.
Hundreds of Kurds demonstrated Sunday against the shelling in the northern provincial capital of Erbil. They gathered outside the Kurdish Parliament building and asked that the northern government and the United Nations intervene. Senior Iranian officials have privately acknowledged to their Iraqi counterparts that the shelling is taking place in response to guerrilla attacks by a group opposed to the Iranian government that has bases on the Iraqi side of the border. At the conference on Sunday, at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Mr. Baqiri did not directly address the shelling, but he told officials from 16 nations, the Arab League, the Islamic Conference and the United Nations that it was time for Iraq to take action.
“Supporting military and political actions by terrorist elements in Iraq against neighboring countries is considered dangerous behavior that we cannot tolerate, and a major factor in the chaotic security situation and instability in the region,” Mr. Baqiri told the assembled delegates, according to an Arabic translation of his remarks, which were made in Persian. “We are waiting for the Iraqi government to do what it takes to resolve this issue.”
Later, asked at a briefing about the shelling, Mr. Baqiri said that in dealing with “terrorists who want to enter Iranian soil,” the Iranian government “will confront them and stop them.” “We have a long history in standing against terrorist groups,” Mr. Baqiri said. “We have made many sacrifices because of this, and we know how to confront these groups.”
Mr. Baqiri’s comments are likely to raise tensions against the bloody backdrop of the Iran-Iraq war, which lasted throughout much of the 1980s and began with a border dispute in the south. Perhaps by design, his words seemed especially jarring because they were delivered during a conference organized to promote harmony in the region.
That conference was organized by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, led by Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd who fought Saddam Hussein’s government as a guerrilla commander, often operating essentially as an ally of Iran. But in a diplomatic meeting in Tehran last week, Mr. Zebari called the shelling indiscriminate and far out of proportion to the threat to Iran. On Sunday, Mr. Zebari acknowledged that the cross-border attacks were taking place, but described them as infrequent and more of a nuisance than a real threat. Still, Mr. Zebari agreed that it fell to the Iraqi government to rein in the groups.
“But at the same time we want this shelling to stop or end because it’s causing a great deal of unease, and we don’t want to see the atmosphere of confidence to be compromised by these continuing acts,” Mr. Zebari said.
The group that has claimed responsibility for the attacks, called Pezak or Pejak for its acronym, is believed to be made up mainly of Iranian Kurds seeking autonomy for Kurds in Iran. Asked specifically about that group, Mr. Baqiri stated publicly what Iranian officials have been claiming privately for months: that the United States supports the group.
This support, Mr. Baqiri said, amounted to a “double standard” in American policy, given that the United States has repeatedly accused Iran of exporting deadly roadside bombs to Iraq and supporting armed groups here. Those weapons and support, American officials believe, have led directly to the deaths of American and Iraqi troops and other security forces. Told late Sunday of Mr. Baqiri’s accusations, a Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington, said, “I am not aware of any support being provided” to Pejak.
Mr. Baqiri did not specifically say that Iran would enter Iraq militarily, but his statements, couched in diplomatic terms, raised the clear possibility that Iranian forces could cross the border in pursuit of the militants. But however carefully phrased his statements, many of those distinctions are likely to be lost on hundreds of families on the Iraqi side who have been driven from their villages by weeks of intermittent shelling from Iran.
Hundreds of Kurds demonstrated Sunday against the shelling in the northern provincial capital of Erbil. They gathered outside the Kurdish Parliament building and asked that the northern government and the United Nations intervene. Senior Iranian officials have privately acknowledged to their Iraqi counterparts that the shelling is taking place in response to guerrilla attacks by a group opposed to the Iranian government that has bases on the Iraqi side of the border. At the conference on Sunday, at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Mr. Baqiri did not directly address the shelling, but he told officials from 16 nations, the Arab League, the Islamic Conference and the United Nations that it was time for Iraq to take action.
“Supporting military and political actions by terrorist elements in Iraq against neighboring countries is considered dangerous behavior that we cannot tolerate, and a major factor in the chaotic security situation and instability in the region,” Mr. Baqiri told the assembled delegates, according to an Arabic translation of his remarks, which were made in Persian. “We are waiting for the Iraqi government to do what it takes to resolve this issue.”
Later, asked at a briefing about the shelling, Mr. Baqiri said that in dealing with “terrorists who want to enter Iranian soil,” the Iranian government “will confront them and stop them.” “We have a long history in standing against terrorist groups,” Mr. Baqiri said. “We have made many sacrifices because of this, and we know how to confront these groups.”
Mr. Baqiri’s comments are likely to raise tensions against the bloody backdrop of the Iran-Iraq war, which lasted throughout much of the 1980s and began with a border dispute in the south. Perhaps by design, his words seemed especially jarring because they were delivered during a conference organized to promote harmony in the region.
That conference was organized by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, led by Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd who fought Saddam Hussein’s government as a guerrilla commander, often operating essentially as an ally of Iran. But in a diplomatic meeting in Tehran last week, Mr. Zebari called the shelling indiscriminate and far out of proportion to the threat to Iran. On Sunday, Mr. Zebari acknowledged that the cross-border attacks were taking place, but described them as infrequent and more of a nuisance than a real threat. Still, Mr. Zebari agreed that it fell to the Iraqi government to rein in the groups.
“But at the same time we want this shelling to stop or end because it’s causing a great deal of unease, and we don’t want to see the atmosphere of confidence to be compromised by these continuing acts,” Mr. Zebari said.
The group that has claimed responsibility for the attacks, called Pezak or Pejak for its acronym, is believed to be made up mainly of Iranian Kurds seeking autonomy for Kurds in Iran. Asked specifically about that group, Mr. Baqiri stated publicly what Iranian officials have been claiming privately for months: that the United States supports the group.
This support, Mr. Baqiri said, amounted to a “double standard” in American policy, given that the United States has repeatedly accused Iran of exporting deadly roadside bombs to Iraq and supporting armed groups here. Those weapons and support, American officials believe, have led directly to the deaths of American and Iraqi troops and other security forces. Told late Sunday of Mr. Baqiri’s accusations, a Pentagon spokesman, Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington, said, “I am not aware of any support being provided” to Pejak.
Labels: Hoshyar Zibari, Iran, Kurdistan, Mohammad R. Baqiri, Pejak, U.S.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Iraqi FM calls for immediate halt of Iranian shelling
Region
(Voices of Iraq) - Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari called for an immediate halt of the Iranian shelling operations on northern Iraq as they causing severe damage to the civilians' property in these regions.
"Zibari asserted during his meeting with the Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki on Monday afternoon in Tehran that Iraq was ready to set up a joint technical committee to discuss all details related to this subject and to agree on suitable solutions," read a foreign ministry statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
"The minister met with Mottaki in Tehran, during which they probed issues of mutual interest as well as the meeting of Iraq's neighboring countries, Egypt, Bahrain, in addition to the U.N. Security Council's five permanent countries and the G8, due in Baghdad," the statement also said. The statement pointed out that the two sides discussed the Iranian shelling of the border regions in Sulaimaniya and Arbil, adding no more details.
"Zibari asserted during his meeting with the Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki on Monday afternoon in Tehran that Iraq was ready to set up a joint technical committee to discuss all details related to this subject and to agree on suitable solutions," read a foreign ministry statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI).
"The minister met with Mottaki in Tehran, during which they probed issues of mutual interest as well as the meeting of Iraq's neighboring countries, Egypt, Bahrain, in addition to the U.N. Security Council's five permanent countries and the G8, due in Baghdad," the statement also said. The statement pointed out that the two sides discussed the Iranian shelling of the border regions in Sulaimaniya and Arbil, adding no more details.
Labels: Hoshyar Zibari, Iran, Kurdistan, Manouchehr Mottaki
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Al-Maliki in Turkey - insists Iraq isn't supporting PKK
Regional
(AP) - Kurdish guerrillas killed a Turkish lieutenant in the southeast on Tuesday, as the Iraqi prime minister arrived for a visit likely to be dominated by Turkish warnings to either crack down on rebel bases in northern Iraq or face a possible incursion. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki insisted that his government was not supporting the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK.
"Our visit is an effort to develop bilateral relations and cooperation with Turkey, especially regarding the security file, which is the most important one," he told The Associated Press in an interview on his plane before landing in Ankara. "The PKK is an illegal terrorist organization, and the Turks are accusing them of terrorism. We don't allow for any terrorist organization on our soil," he said. "We want good relations with our neighbor, Turkey, and we should not interfere in each other's internal affairs."
Al-Maliki was greeted at the airport in Ankara by Turkey's Trade Minister Kursad Tuzmen. The Iraqi delegation included Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and some Iraqi legislators. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was expected to warn al-Maliki against allowing the PKK rebels to shelter in Iraq. Turkey has threatened to stage a cross-border offensive to eradicate the Kurdish rebel bases if Iraq or the United States do not act against the rebels.
Al-Maliki will likely seek to dissuade Turkey from launching an incursion. Turkey's patience with the decades-old rebel conflict has been running thin amid escalated fighting that has left around 80 Turkish soldiers dead so far this year. On Tuesday, Turkish generals were gathering for the funeral of a noncommissioned officer, also killed by rebels.
"Our visit is an effort to develop bilateral relations and cooperation with Turkey, especially regarding the security file, which is the most important one," he told The Associated Press in an interview on his plane before landing in Ankara. "The PKK is an illegal terrorist organization, and the Turks are accusing them of terrorism. We don't allow for any terrorist organization on our soil," he said. "We want good relations with our neighbor, Turkey, and we should not interfere in each other's internal affairs."
Al-Maliki was greeted at the airport in Ankara by Turkey's Trade Minister Kursad Tuzmen. The Iraqi delegation included Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and some Iraqi legislators. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was expected to warn al-Maliki against allowing the PKK rebels to shelter in Iraq. Turkey has threatened to stage a cross-border offensive to eradicate the Kurdish rebel bases if Iraq or the United States do not act against the rebels.
Al-Maliki will likely seek to dissuade Turkey from launching an incursion. Turkey's patience with the decades-old rebel conflict has been running thin amid escalated fighting that has left around 80 Turkish soldiers dead so far this year. On Tuesday, Turkish generals were gathering for the funeral of a noncommissioned officer, also killed by rebels.
Al-Maliki planned to visit Iran on Wednesday.
Labels: Hoshyar Zibari, Hussain al-Shahristani, Kursad Tuzmen, Nouri Al-Maliki, PKK, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey
Monday, July 30, 2007
Petraeus and al-Maliki clash
Politics
(AP) -- A key aide says Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's relations with Gen. David Petraeus are so poor the Iraqi leader may ask Washington to withdraw the overall U.S. commander from his Baghdad post. Iraq's foreign minister calls the relationship "difficult." Petraeus, who says their ties are "very good," acknowledges expressing his "full range of emotions" at times with al-Maliki. U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker, who meets with both at least weekly, concedes "sometimes there are sporty exchanges."
It seems less a clash of personality than of policy. The Shiite Muslim prime minister has reacted most sharply to the American general's tactic of enlisting Sunni militants, presumably including past killers of Iraqi Shiites, as allies in the fight against al-Qaida here. An associate said al-Maliki once, in discussion with President Bush, even threatened to counter this by arming Shiite militias.
A tangle of issues confronts them, none with easy solutions:
- Al-Maliki, a Shiite activist who spent the Saddam Hussein years in exile, hotly objects to the recent U.S. practice of recruiting tribal groups tied to the Sunni insurgency for the fight against the Sunni extremists of al-Qaida, deemed "Enemy No. 1" by the Americans. His loud complaints have won little but a U.S. pledge to let al-Maliki's security apparatus screen the recruits.
- Aides say the Iraqi leader also has spoken bitterly about delivery delays of promised U.S. weapons and equipment for his forces.
- Petraeus, meanwhile, must deal with an Iraqi military and police force, nominally under al-Maliki's control, that often acts out of sectarian, namely Shiite, interests, and not national Iraqi interests. He faces a significant challenge in persuading al-Maliki to shed his ties to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who runs the Mahdi Army militia.
- On the political front, Crocker is grappling with the prime minister's seeming foot-dragging or ineffectiveness in pushing through an oil-industry law and other legislation seen as critical benchmarks by the U.S. government. Reporting to Congress in September, Crocker may have to explain such Iraqi inaction while U.S. troops are fighting and dying to give al-Maliki political breathing space.
First word of strained relations began leaking out with consistency earlier this month. Sami al-Askari, a key aide to al-Maliki and a member of the prime minister's Dawa Party, said the policy of incorporating one-time Sunni insurgents into the security forces shows Petraeus has a "real bias and it bothers the Shiites," whose communities have been targeted by Sunnis in Iraq's sectarian conflict.
"It is possible that we may demand his removal," al-Askari said.
A lawmaker from the al-Sadr bloc, who wouldn't allow use of his name because of the political sensitivity of the matter, said al-Maliki once told Petraeus: "I can't deal with you anymore. I will ask for someone else to replace you." Such a request isn't likely to get much of a hearing in Washington, where the Bush administration presents Petraeus as one general who can improve the Iraq situation.
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told Newsweek magazine the Petraeus-al-Maliki relationship is "difficult." For one thing, the Americans retain control of the Iraqi military. "The prime minister cannot just pick up the phone and have Iraqi army units do what he says. Maliki needs more leverage," Zebari said.
The prime minister has complained to President Bush about the policy of arming Sunnis, said the Sadrist lawmaker. "He told Bush that if Petraeus continues doing that, he would arm Shiite militias. Bush told al-Maliki to calm down," according to this parliament member, who said he was told of the exchange by al-Maliki. In Washington, White House officials who have sat in on Bush's video conferences with al-Maliki denied that exchange took place.
It seems less a clash of personality than of policy. The Shiite Muslim prime minister has reacted most sharply to the American general's tactic of enlisting Sunni militants, presumably including past killers of Iraqi Shiites, as allies in the fight against al-Qaida here. An associate said al-Maliki once, in discussion with President Bush, even threatened to counter this by arming Shiite militias.
A tangle of issues confronts them, none with easy solutions:
- Al-Maliki, a Shiite activist who spent the Saddam Hussein years in exile, hotly objects to the recent U.S. practice of recruiting tribal groups tied to the Sunni insurgency for the fight against the Sunni extremists of al-Qaida, deemed "Enemy No. 1" by the Americans. His loud complaints have won little but a U.S. pledge to let al-Maliki's security apparatus screen the recruits.
- Aides say the Iraqi leader also has spoken bitterly about delivery delays of promised U.S. weapons and equipment for his forces.
- Petraeus, meanwhile, must deal with an Iraqi military and police force, nominally under al-Maliki's control, that often acts out of sectarian, namely Shiite, interests, and not national Iraqi interests. He faces a significant challenge in persuading al-Maliki to shed his ties to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who runs the Mahdi Army militia.
- On the political front, Crocker is grappling with the prime minister's seeming foot-dragging or ineffectiveness in pushing through an oil-industry law and other legislation seen as critical benchmarks by the U.S. government. Reporting to Congress in September, Crocker may have to explain such Iraqi inaction while U.S. troops are fighting and dying to give al-Maliki political breathing space.
First word of strained relations began leaking out with consistency earlier this month. Sami al-Askari, a key aide to al-Maliki and a member of the prime minister's Dawa Party, said the policy of incorporating one-time Sunni insurgents into the security forces shows Petraeus has a "real bias and it bothers the Shiites," whose communities have been targeted by Sunnis in Iraq's sectarian conflict.
"It is possible that we may demand his removal," al-Askari said.
A lawmaker from the al-Sadr bloc, who wouldn't allow use of his name because of the political sensitivity of the matter, said al-Maliki once told Petraeus: "I can't deal with you anymore. I will ask for someone else to replace you." Such a request isn't likely to get much of a hearing in Washington, where the Bush administration presents Petraeus as one general who can improve the Iraq situation.
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told Newsweek magazine the Petraeus-al-Maliki relationship is "difficult." For one thing, the Americans retain control of the Iraqi military. "The prime minister cannot just pick up the phone and have Iraqi army units do what he says. Maliki needs more leverage," Zebari said.
The prime minister has complained to President Bush about the policy of arming Sunnis, said the Sadrist lawmaker. "He told Bush that if Petraeus continues doing that, he would arm Shiite militias. Bush told al-Maliki to calm down," according to this parliament member, who said he was told of the exchange by al-Maliki. In Washington, White House officials who have sat in on Bush's video conferences with al-Maliki denied that exchange took place.
Labels: Al Qaeda, General David Petraeus, Hoshyar Zibari, Nouri Al-Maliki, Ryan Crocker, Sami al-Askari, Shiite militias, Sunni militants
Monday, July 23, 2007
Iran-U.S. Iraq security talks confirmed
International
(RFE/RL) - Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says Iran and the United States will hold a second round of talks on Iraq's security on July 24. Zebari said the ambassadors to Iraq from both countries will lead the talks in Baghdad. The meeting was confirmed today by Iran.
The two envoys, Ryan Crocker and Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, had a first round of talks in May, the highest-level meeting since 1980, when the United States and Tehran severed diplomatic relations after Iranian revolutionaries seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, keeping its diplomatic staff hostage for 444 days.The United States has long shunned direct contact with Iran, which it accuses of sponsoring terrorism and seeking to secretly develop nuclear weapons. But in the face of major problems in Iraq, Washington is searching for ways to stabilize the country, where Tehran has emerged as a major player since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
At the same time, Iran has called for the release of five Iranians detained in Iraq, whom the United States has said are the operations chief and other members of Irans elite Quds Force, which is accused of arming and training Iraqi militants. Iran says the five are diplomats in Iraq with permission of the government.
Labels: Hassan Kazemi-Qomi, Hoshyar Zibari, Iran, Iranian detainees, Ryan Crocker, U.S
Monday, July 09, 2007
Iraq asks Turkey for more time to deal with PKK
Kurdistan
(Aljazeera article) - Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, says that Turkey has amassed thousands of troops on its border and has called on Ankara to give it more time to deal with Kurdish separatists. Turkey's army has been urging the government to send troops into Iraq to combat Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters who use the region as a base for attacks.
Zebari said: "Relations with Turkey are still good but there's a huge build up in our view. Our intelligence assessment is that there's 140,000 troops and they've been there for quite some time." Baghdad and the United States have urged Ankara to show caution, and not create another military crisis in an Iraq already wracked with conflict.
"We are trying to defuse this tension," Zebari said. "We think the best thing is to revive the security working group [and address] all legitimate Turkish concerns about the PKK, the security issue and cross-border incursions." Zebari repeated that Iraq would see any Turkish military operation on its soil as an unwelcome violation of sovereignty, and insisted that it was not opposed to taking action against the PKK at the proper time.
The foreign minister also said that Iraq's armed forces are fighting on the streets of Baghdad and had no manpower to spare for a campaign against Kurdish rebels in the northern mountains. Turkey has been asked to take part in talks with Iraq and the United States to discuss the issue. However, Abdullah Gul, Turkey's foreign minister, said in June that his government had finalised a battle plan for an incursion into Iraq to pursue the PKK and that the military was waiting for the green light.
Zebari said: "Relations with Turkey are still good but there's a huge build up in our view. Our intelligence assessment is that there's 140,000 troops and they've been there for quite some time." Baghdad and the United States have urged Ankara to show caution, and not create another military crisis in an Iraq already wracked with conflict.
"We are trying to defuse this tension," Zebari said. "We think the best thing is to revive the security working group [and address] all legitimate Turkish concerns about the PKK, the security issue and cross-border incursions." Zebari repeated that Iraq would see any Turkish military operation on its soil as an unwelcome violation of sovereignty, and insisted that it was not opposed to taking action against the PKK at the proper time.
The foreign minister also said that Iraq's armed forces are fighting on the streets of Baghdad and had no manpower to spare for a campaign against Kurdish rebels in the northern mountains. Turkey has been asked to take part in talks with Iraq and the United States to discuss the issue. However, Abdullah Gul, Turkey's foreign minister, said in June that his government had finalised a battle plan for an incursion into Iraq to pursue the PKK and that the military was waiting for the green light.
Labels: Abdullah Gul, Hoshyar Zibari, PKK, Turkey
Zebari warns of civil war if quick U.S. withdrawal
Security
(AP article) - Iraq's foreign minister warned Monday that a quick American troop withdrawal could lead to civil war and the collapse of the Iraqi state, adding that the U.S. has a responsibility to build Iraqi forces so that they take over.
Hoshyar Zebari told reporters that the Iraqis "understand the huge pressure that will increase more and more in the United States" ahead of a September report to Congress by U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and military commander Gen. David Petraeus. The report will assess progress toward national reconciliation. Leading Republicans say if there is no sign of progress they will demand a change in Iraq policy.
"We have held discussion with members of Congress and explained to them the dangers of a quick pullout and leaving a security vacuum," Zebari, a Kurd, told reporters. "The dangers could be a civil war, dividing the country, regional wars and the collapse of the state. "In our estimation, until Iraqi forces are ready, there is a responsibility on the United States which is to stand with the (government) as the forces are being built," he said.
Hoshyar Zebari told reporters that the Iraqis "understand the huge pressure that will increase more and more in the United States" ahead of a September report to Congress by U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and military commander Gen. David Petraeus. The report will assess progress toward national reconciliation. Leading Republicans say if there is no sign of progress they will demand a change in Iraq policy.
"We have held discussion with members of Congress and explained to them the dangers of a quick pullout and leaving a security vacuum," Zebari, a Kurd, told reporters. "The dangers could be a civil war, dividing the country, regional wars and the collapse of the state. "In our estimation, until Iraqi forces are ready, there is a responsibility on the United States which is to stand with the (government) as the forces are being built," he said.
Labels: General David Petraeus, Hoshyar Zibari, Ryan Crocker, U.S. troop withdrawal
Monday, June 11, 2007
Iraqi FM offers talks with Turkey on PKK
Region
(AINA) - Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has offered Turkey talks on how to deal with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) after his government protested to Turkey about recent shelling of northern Iraq and demanded coordination in the fight against the terrorist group.
Zebari told the BBC's Arabic Service that Iraq was ready to talk about the activities of the PKK in northern Iraq, and other matters of concern to Turkey. "We are open to dealing with these positively," he said, "but not via an intensive and large-scale bombardment of border areas."
As tensions with Iraq increase over the reported shelling, Iraqi radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr -- who commands the Mahdi Army, a militia of tens of thousands of young, impoverished Shiites, who are accused of spearheading a sectarian conflict against Iraq's minority Sunnis -- said "we will not be silent in the face of this threat." Vowing to defend the people of "Kurdistan," Sadr called on the people of Turkey to stop their armed forces from carrying out cross-border shelling in Iraq, in a statement in Najaf.
"We are ready to mediate with Turkey to end this crisis. Turkish people have to reject such actions and help to stamp out the fire between the two Muslim nations," Sadr said. "I hope Turkey will not repeat such bombardments of Iraqi territory. It has no right to do it."
Iraq says the cross-border attacks have caused widespread damage and undermined relations between the two countries. "We are against any military interventions or violations of borders or the regional security, and all issues are negotiable and can be resolved through dialogue," Zebari said. Turkey has not confirmed any cross-border shelling but it has been building up forces along the border with Iraq.
Zebari told the BBC's Arabic Service that Iraq was ready to talk about the activities of the PKK in northern Iraq, and other matters of concern to Turkey. "We are open to dealing with these positively," he said, "but not via an intensive and large-scale bombardment of border areas."
As tensions with Iraq increase over the reported shelling, Iraqi radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr -- who commands the Mahdi Army, a militia of tens of thousands of young, impoverished Shiites, who are accused of spearheading a sectarian conflict against Iraq's minority Sunnis -- said "we will not be silent in the face of this threat." Vowing to defend the people of "Kurdistan," Sadr called on the people of Turkey to stop their armed forces from carrying out cross-border shelling in Iraq, in a statement in Najaf.
"We are ready to mediate with Turkey to end this crisis. Turkish people have to reject such actions and help to stamp out the fire between the two Muslim nations," Sadr said. "I hope Turkey will not repeat such bombardments of Iraqi territory. It has no right to do it."
Iraq says the cross-border attacks have caused widespread damage and undermined relations between the two countries. "We are against any military interventions or violations of borders or the regional security, and all issues are negotiable and can be resolved through dialogue," Zebari said. Turkey has not confirmed any cross-border shelling but it has been building up forces along the border with Iraq.
Labels: Hoshyar Zibari, Moqtada Al-Sadr, PKK, Turkey
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Iraqi foreign minister asks Brown not to withdraw British troops
Security
(AFP) - Prime Minister-designate Gordon Brown should not withdraw British troops from Iraq, the war-torn country's foreign minister said Thursday as he cautioned that it is important not to show insurgents any sign of weakness. "We hope that the new prime minister, Mr Brown, is also a friend of Iraq and of the Iraqi people, and will not take any spectacular decisions," Hoshyar Zebari told AFP.
Brown is set to replace Prime Minister Tony Blair, one of the architects of the Iraq war, on June 27 after a decade as finance minister under him. "I believe there is the impression that he is seeking to differentiate himself from Mr Blair, and that one of the points is Iraq," Zebari said. "We must really reinforce the international coalition. The stakes are too important for all of us, which is why we hope that right now our friends in Great Britain and in the British government will remain at our sides."
The Blair government has already pledged to bring home about 1,600 troops from Iraq this year, reducing the country's force there to about 5,500. The Times newspaper published an interview with Zebari in which he expressed identical views. He also said although the situation was bad in Basra, where most British troops are based, it is not as bad as Baghdad.
"It needs better governance... The police force there is weak, the military is weak, the city council is not united," Zebari told The Times. He said the key question that had to be answered before British troops could be withdrawn was about the readiness of the Iraqi security forces to take their place. "Are we there or not? That is the question. By the time the British will make their decision whether to reduce, to draw down, that formula has to be correct."
Zebari also addressed the matter of whether Iraqi MPs want foreign troops in the country, noting that his government would be arguing in parliament that they are still needed. He noted that support for troop deployments in Iraq from voters in Britain and the United States is waning, telling the paper: "If you take all this, of course it is very significant."
Brown is set to replace Prime Minister Tony Blair, one of the architects of the Iraq war, on June 27 after a decade as finance minister under him. "I believe there is the impression that he is seeking to differentiate himself from Mr Blair, and that one of the points is Iraq," Zebari said. "We must really reinforce the international coalition. The stakes are too important for all of us, which is why we hope that right now our friends in Great Britain and in the British government will remain at our sides."
The Blair government has already pledged to bring home about 1,600 troops from Iraq this year, reducing the country's force there to about 5,500. The Times newspaper published an interview with Zebari in which he expressed identical views. He also said although the situation was bad in Basra, where most British troops are based, it is not as bad as Baghdad.
"It needs better governance... The police force there is weak, the military is weak, the city council is not united," Zebari told The Times. He said the key question that had to be answered before British troops could be withdrawn was about the readiness of the Iraqi security forces to take their place. "Are we there or not? That is the question. By the time the British will make their decision whether to reduce, to draw down, that formula has to be correct."
Zebari also addressed the matter of whether Iraqi MPs want foreign troops in the country, noting that his government would be arguing in parliament that they are still needed. He noted that support for troop deployments in Iraq from voters in Britain and the United States is waning, telling the paper: "If you take all this, of course it is very significant."
Labels: Basra, British military, Gordon Brown, Hoshyar Zibari, Iraq
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Mahdi Army may be behind abduction of foreigners
Security
(BBC) - A Shia militia group is thought to be behind the kidnapping of five Britons in the Iraqi capital Baghdad.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that the Mehdi Army, rather than al-Qaeda, could be responsible.
The Anglican vicar of Baghdad, Canon Andrew White, said the kidnapping could be linked to the recent killing of a radical Shia cleric by UK troops.
The Britons were seized at a government building near Baghdad's Sadr City suburb, a Mehdi Army stronghold.
The five men - a computer expert and four bodyguards - were taken from the finance ministry building in Baghdad. The kidnappers wore police uniforms and staged the capture without firing a shot, senior Iraqi officials said.
Mr Zebari said the kidnappings represented a "very serious challenge... to the government itself". The kidnappers probably had connections with local police in the area, he told the BBC's Today programme. "The number of people who were involved in the operation, to seal all the buildings, to set roadblocks, to get into the building with such confidence, [they] must have some connection."
Canon Andrew White said there was "very likely a connection" between Tuesday's kidnappings and the death of Abu Qadir, also known as Wissam Waili, a leader of the Mehdi Army militia, who was killed in Basra on 25 May. He told the BBC: "The worrying thing is this is obviously not a case for ransom demand; economic hostage-taking is fairly easy to deal with. "The fact is that just last week, one [leader] of the most militant wing of the Mehdi Army was killed by the British troops, and we now see that there is very likely a connection between these two [events]."
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking during a trip to Libya, said: "We will do everything we possibly can to help." In a statement, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said support was being offered to the kidnap victims' next of kin at what was "clearly a very distressing time for all concerned". The Iraqi government itself has got a few questions to answer about this. "It is not sensible at this stage to speculate on what might have happened," the statement said. "We are working closely with the Iraqi authorities to establish the facts and doing all we can to secure their swift and safe release."
British embassy officials in Iraq are following up the case and the Iraqi government has set up a special operations room. The British government convened an emergency meeting of its Cobra crisis management committee to discuss the issue on Tuesday afternoon.
The four kidnapped security guards were working for Canadian-owned security firm GardaWorld. The company is one of the biggest suppliers of private security in Iraq, and is mainly staffed by Britons. The computer expert was working for Bearingpoint, a US management consultancy which has worked on development projects in Iraq since 2003. As yet, no group has taken responsibility for the abduction.
This is thought to be the first time Westerners have been abducted from a government facility. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said: "Because these men were very unusually seized from a government ministry in broad daylight by people dressed as special police commandoes, in an incredibly brazen raid, the Iraqi government itself has got a few questions to answer about this.
"I think the suspicion is that there was some connivance, possibly low or middle-level, within the police. The Iraqi police is known to be heavily infiltrated by Shia militias." BBC correspondent Jim Muir said similar abductions of large numbers of Iraqis had been blamed on Shia militias, but it was not being ruled out that Tuesday's raid could have been staged by Sunni insurgents. He said senior Iraqi officials said the kidnappers told guards at the Ministry of Finance building that they were from the Integrity Commission - the Iraqi government's internal watchdog.
Witnesses said that the street was sealed off at both ends and the kidnappers, in police camouflage uniforms, walked past guards at the finance ministry building on Palestine Street. A police source told the BBC that dozens of police vehicles were used in the operation. Frank Gardner said a team of experienced police hostage negotiators had already been assembled, and that extra staff had been flown to the British Embassy in Baghdad following the kidnappings.
Intense negotiations were going on with Iraqi officials, and US representatives in Iraq, he said. He added: "It's thought that it would be quite hard for them to abduct these people and take them too far from the area where they were seized without being detected. "So there will be back-channel contacts, SIS - the Secret Intelligence Service - will be involved in this, speaking to informers, trying to find out if anybody has seen anything suspicious, and trying to find out who they are dealing with here." About 200 foreigners of many different nationalities have been kidnapped in Iraq over the past four years, though the number has fallen dramatically since a few years ago.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that the Mehdi Army, rather than al-Qaeda, could be responsible.
The Anglican vicar of Baghdad, Canon Andrew White, said the kidnapping could be linked to the recent killing of a radical Shia cleric by UK troops.
The Britons were seized at a government building near Baghdad's Sadr City suburb, a Mehdi Army stronghold.
The five men - a computer expert and four bodyguards - were taken from the finance ministry building in Baghdad. The kidnappers wore police uniforms and staged the capture without firing a shot, senior Iraqi officials said.
Mr Zebari said the kidnappings represented a "very serious challenge... to the government itself". The kidnappers probably had connections with local police in the area, he told the BBC's Today programme. "The number of people who were involved in the operation, to seal all the buildings, to set roadblocks, to get into the building with such confidence, [they] must have some connection."
Canon Andrew White said there was "very likely a connection" between Tuesday's kidnappings and the death of Abu Qadir, also known as Wissam Waili, a leader of the Mehdi Army militia, who was killed in Basra on 25 May. He told the BBC: "The worrying thing is this is obviously not a case for ransom demand; economic hostage-taking is fairly easy to deal with. "The fact is that just last week, one [leader] of the most militant wing of the Mehdi Army was killed by the British troops, and we now see that there is very likely a connection between these two [events]."
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking during a trip to Libya, said: "We will do everything we possibly can to help." In a statement, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said support was being offered to the kidnap victims' next of kin at what was "clearly a very distressing time for all concerned". The Iraqi government itself has got a few questions to answer about this. "It is not sensible at this stage to speculate on what might have happened," the statement said. "We are working closely with the Iraqi authorities to establish the facts and doing all we can to secure their swift and safe release."
British embassy officials in Iraq are following up the case and the Iraqi government has set up a special operations room. The British government convened an emergency meeting of its Cobra crisis management committee to discuss the issue on Tuesday afternoon.
The four kidnapped security guards were working for Canadian-owned security firm GardaWorld. The company is one of the biggest suppliers of private security in Iraq, and is mainly staffed by Britons. The computer expert was working for Bearingpoint, a US management consultancy which has worked on development projects in Iraq since 2003. As yet, no group has taken responsibility for the abduction.
This is thought to be the first time Westerners have been abducted from a government facility. BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said: "Because these men were very unusually seized from a government ministry in broad daylight by people dressed as special police commandoes, in an incredibly brazen raid, the Iraqi government itself has got a few questions to answer about this.
"I think the suspicion is that there was some connivance, possibly low or middle-level, within the police. The Iraqi police is known to be heavily infiltrated by Shia militias." BBC correspondent Jim Muir said similar abductions of large numbers of Iraqis had been blamed on Shia militias, but it was not being ruled out that Tuesday's raid could have been staged by Sunni insurgents. He said senior Iraqi officials said the kidnappers told guards at the Ministry of Finance building that they were from the Integrity Commission - the Iraqi government's internal watchdog.
Witnesses said that the street was sealed off at both ends and the kidnappers, in police camouflage uniforms, walked past guards at the finance ministry building on Palestine Street. A police source told the BBC that dozens of police vehicles were used in the operation. Frank Gardner said a team of experienced police hostage negotiators had already been assembled, and that extra staff had been flown to the British Embassy in Baghdad following the kidnappings.
Intense negotiations were going on with Iraqi officials, and US representatives in Iraq, he said. He added: "It's thought that it would be quite hard for them to abduct these people and take them too far from the area where they were seized without being detected. "So there will be back-channel contacts, SIS - the Secret Intelligence Service - will be involved in this, speaking to informers, trying to find out if anybody has seen anything suspicious, and trying to find out who they are dealing with here." About 200 foreigners of many different nationalities have been kidnapped in Iraq over the past four years, though the number has fallen dramatically since a few years ago.
Labels: abduction, Abu Qadir, Baghdad, Basra, Bearingpoint, Canon Andrew White, Cobra, GardaWorld, Hoshyar Zibari, Mahdi Army, Ministry of Finance, Wissam Waili
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Hoshyar Zibari says detained Iranians may be released
Politics, U.S., Iran
(The Independent) - The five Iranian officials whose abduction in an a US helicopter raid in January led to a crisis in relations between the US and Iran could be released in June according to the Iraqi foreign minister. In an interview in Baghdad, Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, said that legally the US can only hold the Iranians for six months. It must then charge them, hand them over to Iraq or release them.
The Iranians were captured when the US launched a surprise raid on a long-established Iranian office in Arbil, the Kurdish capital in northern Iraq, on 11 January. Mr Zebari confirmed that the real targets were two senior Iranian security officials, the deputy head of Iran's National Security Council and General Minojahar Farouzanda, the head of intelligence of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Both men were on an official visit to northern Iraq at the time of the US attack during which they had seen Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Kurdish President Massoud Barzani. Misled by the presence of their official car at the liaison office in Arbil - although they were in Mr Barzani's headquarters at Salahudin - US forces tried and failed to seize them.
Mr Zebari said there was "a possibility they will be released". This is because under an agreement governing such detentions the US "can detain them for 90 days and this can be renewed once. This is the military rule for holding such people: charge them, hand them over to the Iraqi authorities or release them. The time for their detention will expire in June when a decision will have to be made."
The Iranians were captured when the US launched a surprise raid on a long-established Iranian office in Arbil, the Kurdish capital in northern Iraq, on 11 January. Mr Zebari confirmed that the real targets were two senior Iranian security officials, the deputy head of Iran's National Security Council and General Minojahar Farouzanda, the head of intelligence of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Both men were on an official visit to northern Iraq at the time of the US attack during which they had seen Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Kurdish President Massoud Barzani. Misled by the presence of their official car at the liaison office in Arbil - although they were in Mr Barzani's headquarters at Salahudin - US forces tried and failed to seize them.
Mr Zebari said there was "a possibility they will be released". This is because under an agreement governing such detentions the US "can detain them for 90 days and this can be renewed once. This is the military rule for holding such people: charge them, hand them over to the Iraqi authorities or release them. The time for their detention will expire in June when a decision will have to be made."
The Arbil raid came after George Bush made a speech on 10 January, identifying Iran and Syria as prime enemies of the US in Iraq. Mr Zebari has been outspoken in demanding their release, He said that since the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting last week the Iranian prisoners have been allowed to receive family visits.
Labels: General Minojahar Farouzanda, Hoshyar Zibari, Iranian detainees, U.S.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Iraqi government asks Qatar to rein in Al Jazeera
Media
(Azzaman) - The Iraqi government has asked its Qatari counterpart to interfere with the Arabic Aljazeera satellite channel to halt what it described as its anti-Iraqi rhetoric. A statement by the Foreign Ministry said the channel, the Arab world’s most influential broadcaster, hosted “terrorist leaders” and “insulted the national Iraqi symbols in its programs and news bulletins.”
Aljazeera is banned to report from Iraq and its offices have been closed for nearly two years. However, the channel still manages to scoop major competitors by airing interviews and broadcasting events which seem to have angered the Iraqi authorities. There were large-scale demonstrations against the channel in the cities of Nasiriya and Najaf following an Aljazeera news report which said that Shiite clerics do not condemn operations targeting innocent Iraqi civilians. The statement signed by Foreign Ministry Hoshyar al-Zaibari said Aljazeera reporting of Iraq-related events mounted to “meddling in internal Iraqi affairs and directly contributes to the incitement of terror.”
Aljazeera is banned to report from Iraq and its offices have been closed for nearly two years. However, the channel still manages to scoop major competitors by airing interviews and broadcasting events which seem to have angered the Iraqi authorities. There were large-scale demonstrations against the channel in the cities of Nasiriya and Najaf following an Aljazeera news report which said that Shiite clerics do not condemn operations targeting innocent Iraqi civilians. The statement signed by Foreign Ministry Hoshyar al-Zaibari said Aljazeera reporting of Iraq-related events mounted to “meddling in internal Iraqi affairs and directly contributes to the incitement of terror.”
Labels: Al Jazeera, demonstration, Hoshyar Zibari, Iraq, Najaf, Nasiriyah, Qatar
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Iraqi govt has high hopes for International Pact
Sharm el-Sheikh conference
(Voices of Iraq) - The Iraqi government hopes the International Pact with Iraq, to be announced next week, will become a turning point in Iraq's ties with the international community and help it obtain the financial and political support needed to achieve aspired to political, economic and security reforms. The pact is to be declared during the international conference that will coincide with the expanded ministerial meeting, on May 3-4, to be hosted by Egypt at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The outcome of a World Bank-backed joint Iraq-UN initiative, the pact was discussed by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon during a visit to Baghdad last month. Kuwait hosted the high-level preparatory meeting on the international pact with Iraq on October 31, 2006, which was attended by representatives of 14 Arab and foreign countries, as well as international organizations.
The pact, which envisages a period of five years for re-building the war-scarred Iraq, was promoted by the UN chief who invited 100 countries and international finance organizations to contribute. Iraqi officials' statements ahead of the two meetings affirm a genuine inclination to break the political and economic isolation of their country.
The Iraqi government hopes "this pact will act as a roadmap towards (restoring) Iraq's stability and turn it into a secure federal, democratic and united country that depends on market economy," Iraqi Deputy Premier Dr. Burham Saleh said. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari said Iraq, during the two forthcoming conferences, will put participating countries before their responsibilities in order to stop the deterioration of security in Iraq and to contribute to its reconstruction and economy.
On the energy sector, Saleh said "the government has ambitious programs to increase oil production from the 2.4 million barrels per day (bpd) at present to 4.2 million bpd in 2010 and 6 million bpd in 2012. The government will take steps to improve the investment climate and develop the private sector to prepare for merging Iraq into the regional and world economies," said Iraqi deputy prime minister.
The idea of the pact involves commitments on the part of Iraq to develop a secure country that is effective in its regional and international environs and a "rational government" that will democratically represent all Iraqis." The Iraqi five-year plan hopes to attain an economic growth rate of 15.4 percent in 2007, compared to only 3 percent last year, and to enhance the country's oil exports to reach 3.5 million bpd by 2011, which would help double the annual revenue to approximately 50 billion dollars.
The outcome of a World Bank-backed joint Iraq-UN initiative, the pact was discussed by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon during a visit to Baghdad last month. Kuwait hosted the high-level preparatory meeting on the international pact with Iraq on October 31, 2006, which was attended by representatives of 14 Arab and foreign countries, as well as international organizations.
The pact, which envisages a period of five years for re-building the war-scarred Iraq, was promoted by the UN chief who invited 100 countries and international finance organizations to contribute. Iraqi officials' statements ahead of the two meetings affirm a genuine inclination to break the political and economic isolation of their country.
The Iraqi government hopes "this pact will act as a roadmap towards (restoring) Iraq's stability and turn it into a secure federal, democratic and united country that depends on market economy," Iraqi Deputy Premier Dr. Burham Saleh said. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari said Iraq, during the two forthcoming conferences, will put participating countries before their responsibilities in order to stop the deterioration of security in Iraq and to contribute to its reconstruction and economy.
On the energy sector, Saleh said "the government has ambitious programs to increase oil production from the 2.4 million barrels per day (bpd) at present to 4.2 million bpd in 2010 and 6 million bpd in 2012. The government will take steps to improve the investment climate and develop the private sector to prepare for merging Iraq into the regional and world economies," said Iraqi deputy prime minister.
The idea of the pact involves commitments on the part of Iraq to develop a secure country that is effective in its regional and international environs and a "rational government" that will democratically represent all Iraqis." The Iraqi five-year plan hopes to attain an economic growth rate of 15.4 percent in 2007, compared to only 3 percent last year, and to enhance the country's oil exports to reach 3.5 million bpd by 2011, which would help double the annual revenue to approximately 50 billion dollars.
Labels: Dr. Burham Saleh, Hoshyar Zibari, International Pact with Iraq, Sharm al-Sheikh Conference
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Iran to consider taking part in Sharm el-Sheikh conference after speaking to Iraq
Politics, Iran
(ISNA) - The foreign ministers of Iran and Iraq, Manuchehr Mottaki and Hoshyar Zebari, met in Tehran on April 25, ISNA reported. Mottaki said afterward that Iran will consider taking part in an Iraq-related summit at Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, scheduled for May 3-4, ISNA reported. The conference is to be attended by Iraq's neighbors and Egypt, Bahrain, and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Mottaki said Iran's presence would show its "serious resolve" to help bring "stability and security" to Iraq. He said Zebari gave him explanations about certain "decisions" that had provoked "doubts" on earlier agreements between Iran and Iraq over an unspecified "course of affairs." He did not elaborate. Iran, he added, will announce its decision in light of Zebari's explanations, ISNA reported. Zebari said he brought Iran a "message" and that Iraq understands Iran's position on the conference. He stressed that "Iraq needs the participation of all neighboring states, especially Iran, in this conference." He said "we are optimistic" that five Iranians arrested in Irbil last January by U.S. forces will be released "soon."
Labels: Hoshyar Zibari, Iran, Manouchehr Mottaki, Sharm el-Sheikh
Monday, April 09, 2007
Iran warns of consequences if detained Iranians in Iraq are not released
Security, Iran, U.S.
(Reuters) - Iran has warned neighboring Iraq that its failure to secure the release of five Iranians detained there by U.S. forces could impair Tehran's cooperation with Baghdad, a senior official was quoted on Sunday as saying. Washington says the five men, detained in January in northern Iraq, are linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and were backing militants. Iran insists they are diplomats, wants them freed and has requested access.
"We are serious about the way we will confront those behind the arrest of the Iranian diplomats in Iraq," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency, seen as close to the Revolutionary Guards. "On Friday I sent a letter to the Iraqi foreign minister and other officials in Iraq and pointed out that their efforts over the release of the diplomats have had no results and I emphasized that if this situation continues we will have problems in taking other steps to help Iraq," he said.
Mottaki's Iraqi counterpart, Hoshiyar Zebari, said he had not received any letter. He insisted his government was working hard to secure the release of the five. "They know very well that the Iraqi government has done, and is doing, its best to try to facilitate their release. We still have not received any confirmation from the Americans that they will release them. "But we hope that this will not be a reason to disturb our bilateral relations," he told Reuters in Baghdad.
"We are serious about the way we will confront those behind the arrest of the Iranian diplomats in Iraq," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency, seen as close to the Revolutionary Guards. "On Friday I sent a letter to the Iraqi foreign minister and other officials in Iraq and pointed out that their efforts over the release of the diplomats have had no results and I emphasized that if this situation continues we will have problems in taking other steps to help Iraq," he said.
Mottaki's Iraqi counterpart, Hoshiyar Zebari, said he had not received any letter. He insisted his government was working hard to secure the release of the five. "They know very well that the Iraqi government has done, and is doing, its best to try to facilitate their release. We still have not received any confirmation from the Americans that they will release them. "But we hope that this will not be a reason to disturb our bilateral relations," he told Reuters in Baghdad.
The families of five Iranians held for three months in US detention in Iraq met an International Committee of the Red Cross representative on Sunday to ask for news about their health, state media said. Foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said earlier that no Iranian official has so far visited the men, who were arrested in northern Iraq in January on accusations of seeking to stir the insurgency. ICRC representatives have seen the detainees twice, and the US has confirmed there were no Iranians among the visiting team.
Labels: Hoshyar Zibari, ICRC, International Committee of the Red Cross, Iranian detainees, Mohammed Ali Hosseini, Revolutionary Guards, U.S.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Iraq Compact to be held in early May
International, Reconstruction
(Reuters) - A high-level meeting to launch a five-year international reconstruction plan for Iraq will be held in early May, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Friday. Dabbagh declined to say where the meeting, which is expected to involve numerous governments and international agencies, would take place.
But the timing coincides with a separate conference between Iraq, its neighbors and world powers that Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Thursday would convene in the first week in May. He also declined to give the location of the gathering. The International Compact with Iraq would see Iraq given international support, financial, political and technical, in return for political, security and economic reforms.
"The Iraq Compact will be held in early May," Dabbagh said. The reconstruction plan was unveiled by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi last month. The compact outlines targets for Iraq to hit during the next five years, including annual economic goals. It also includes legislation the government hopes to pass by the end of 2007.
But the timing coincides with a separate conference between Iraq, its neighbors and world powers that Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said on Thursday would convene in the first week in May. He also declined to give the location of the gathering. The International Compact with Iraq would see Iraq given international support, financial, political and technical, in return for political, security and economic reforms.
"The Iraq Compact will be held in early May," Dabbagh said. The reconstruction plan was unveiled by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi last month. The compact outlines targets for Iraq to hit during the next five years, including annual economic goals. It also includes legislation the government hopes to pass by the end of 2007.
Labels: Ali al-Dabbagh, Hoshyar Zibari, Iraq Compact
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Fate of five Iranians captured by U.S. in Arbil unknown
Security, Iran
(IPS) - As the Western media turns its attention to the fate of 15 Britons detained for allegedly trespassing into Iranian waters over the weekend, the status of five Iranian officials captured in a U.S. military raid on a liaison office in northern Iraq on Jan. 11 remains a mystery. Even though high-level Iraqi officials have publicly called for their release, for all practical purposes, the Iranians have disappeared into the U.S.-sanctioned "coalition detention" system that has been criticised as arbitrary and even illegal by many experts on international law.
Hours before President George W. Bush declared that they would "seek out and destroy the [Iranian] networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq," U.S. forces raided what has been described as a diplomatic liaison office in the northern city of Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, and detained six Iranians, infuriating Kurdish officials in the process.
The troops took office files and computers, ostensibly to find evidence regarding the alleged role of Iranian agents in anti-coalition attacks and sectarian violence in Iraq. One diplomat was released, but the other five men remain in U.S. custody and have not been formally charged with a crime. "They have disappeared. I don't know if they've gone into the enemy combatant system," said Gary Sick, an Iran expert at Columbia University who served in the White House under former President Jimmy Carter. "Nobody on the outside knows."
A spokesman for the Multinational Forces Iraq (MFI), Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, told IPS this week from his office in Baghdad, "They are still in 'coalition detention' in accordance with the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1546, 1637 and 1723."
"The Iranian group in Iraq was arrested by American forces, and we have been asking continuously for their release," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told the Saudi daily Al-Riyadh this week, "but this is something different from the British sailors." A State Department official with knowledge of the situation said the Iranians were informed of the status of the diplomats after their detention through the Swiss government, which represents U.S. interests in Iran in the absence of any U.S. diplomatic presence. He referred all additional questions to MFI in Baghdad.
During this month's regional meeting in Baghdad in which U.S. officials also participated, the Iranian delegation requested the release of the five men, according to a State Department spokeswoman. In response, the Iraqi government asked the U.S.-led coalition to investigate the circumstances involving their detention, The legal fate of the captured Iranians turns in part on the issue of whether the two-storey building in Arbil that was the target of the Jan. 11 raid was, as Iran claims, an official consulate, in which case its premises and staff are entitled to diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention, or rather a liaison office, as U.S. officials contend, which would not be entitled to the same protections. Both Iran and the Kurdish regional government have agreed that consular activities -- such as the issuance of visas -- had been carried out by office staff since 1992. But the U.S. State Department insists that it was not an accredited consulate and that the five detainees are members of the Quds force, an elite unit of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) described by spokesman Sean McCormack as specialising in "training terrorists and those sorts of activities".
According to a knowledgeable source at the Iraqi Embassy here, the five were not accredited diplomats, although they had submitted documents for accreditation before the raid was carried out. Their applications were being processed at the time, said the source, who asked not to be identified. The source also said that the Kurdish regional government had treated them as if they were indeed accredited. The raid on the Arbil liaison office was the third in a series of episodes that targeted Iranian officials operating in Iraq.
Labels: Arbil, Hoshyar Zibari, Iranians, Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, prisoners, U.S.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
19th Arab Summit begins in Riyadh
Region, Security
(AP) - U.S. Arab allies at a summit Wednesday tried to rally other Arabs behind ways to win Israeli and Western support for an Arab land-for-peace offer, despite reluctance from Syria, hoping to build momentum for a breakthrough in the Mideast peace process. The peace initiative is the centerpiece of the two-day Arab summit, which convenes in the Saudi capital at a time when the United States has shown some progress in maneuvering all sides into place for a resumption in long-stalled negotiations.
The Riyadh summit comes amid a more assertive diplomatic role by Saudi Arabia in trying to resolve a string of crises in the Middle East, particularly the Lebanon crisis, the bloodshed in Iraq and Sunni Arab fears over the growing power of mainly Shiite Iran. On the Iraq issue, the summit is expected to push the Shiite Muslim-led Iraqi government to include more Sunni Arabs. The summit's final resolutions call for Baghdad to rewrite the constitution and rebuild the armed forces to accommodate more Sunnis.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari bristled at the resolutions, telling The Associated Press: "We do not need dictation from the Arab countries. Our national interest is our concern, not theirs. We want them to help fight terrorism and monitor (Iraq's) borders to prevent the influx of weapons," he said.
Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, is attending the summit as a guest. The Arab League is dominated by Sunni Muslim-led nations that are deeply suspicious of mainly Shiite Iran's influence in the region and see Iraq's Shiites as backing Iranian interests.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari bristled at the resolutions, telling The Associated Press: "We do not need dictation from the Arab countries. Our national interest is our concern, not theirs. We want them to help fight terrorism and monitor (Iraq's) borders to prevent the influx of weapons," he said.
Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, is attending the summit as a guest. The Arab League is dominated by Sunni Muslim-led nations that are deeply suspicious of mainly Shiite Iran's influence in the region and see Iraq's Shiites as backing Iranian interests.
Labels: 19th Arab Summit, Hoshyar Zibari
