U.S. withdrawal only solution to Iraq crisis

These relations can be expanded within the framework of efforts to promote political, security, and economic development in Iraq in light of the fact that Iran has always sought to promote peace and security in the neighboring country.

Due to its long border with Iran, any development in Iraq will definitely affect Iran’s border regions.

Since the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, Tehran has always tried to establish logical diplomatic relations with Iraq without any kind of interference by foreign countries, but, during its rule of Iraq, the Baath regime always blocked efforts to promote unity between the Iranian and Iraqi nations.

Saddam Hussein’s eight-year war on Iran was initiated to cut the ties between the two nations. Yet, the two Muslim peoples continued their religious relations just as before.

Finally, after the fall of Saddam in April 2003, Tehran-Baghdad relations went beyond normal diplomatic ties because Iranians were once again able to visit Iraq’s Shia religious shrines.

During the past 42 months that Iraq has been under the occupation of U.S. forces, Iran has tried to provide Iraq with all the necessary financial and intellectual means to facilitate the democratization process.

Yet, unfortunately, the activities of Arab terrorist groups are threatening the security of the Iraqi nation.

Iranian officials have often expressed deep concern over the presence of these terrorists on Iraqi soil and have tried to inform the international community of the fact that the occupying forces are unable to establish peace and security in the country.

At this point in time, not only the Iraqi nation but also Iraqi officials believe that the foreign military presence is hindering efforts to establish security.

They have reached this conclusion because U.S. forces are reluctant to hand over responsibility for security affairs to the Iraqi government, which is actually preventing Iraqi forces from endeavoring to establish peace in their country.

Meanwhile, the sharp increase in violence against Iraqi Shias and the lack of a comprehensive security strategy to deal with the situation have raised concern in Iraq’s neighbors, including Iran.

Thus, there are many issues to be discussed during Talabani’s visit to Tehran in order to bring the Iranian and Iraqi nations closer together.

One of the points of discussion should be the need to set a specific timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.

In fact, the United States requires Iran’s cooperation to resolve the Iraq crisis, and without Tehran’s help, all of Washington’s plans for transferring power to the Iraqi government will be doomed to failure.

Another topic that should be on the agenda during Talabani’s visit is Iran’s desire to see the atrocities Saddam committed against the Iranian nation during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war addressed in the legal proceedings against the former dictator.

The Iraqi special tribunal should take up Iran’s charges against Saddam, specifically the fact that he used chemical weapons against the Iranian nation during the war, and, if found guilty, he should be punished according to Article 8 of UN Resolution 598.

A third item on the agenda should be the necessity of determining the nature of future relations between Iraq and neighboring countries according to Iraq’s demography.

Due to the religious affinities they share with Iranians, the Iraqi majority expects their government to establish political relations with neighboring countries -- including Iran -- according to religious considerations, because the Iraqi nation has not forgotten the support regional Arab countries provided to the Baath regime for over three decades.

For 35 years, these countries actively cooperated with Saddam and the Baathists in suppressing the Iraqi Shias. Thus, the Iraqi nation is obviously opposed to the idea of determining Iraq’s foreign relations according to pan-Arabist tendencies.

However, Talabani’s visit to Tehran will most likely benefit not only the Iraqi and Iranian nations but all the nations in the region.

SA/HG

End

MNA