Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki rebuked neighboring states yesterday for not doing enough to strengthen ties with Baghdad, write off Iraq’s debts or stop militants entering the war-torn country.
Maliki, speaking at a meeting in Kuwait of foreign ministers from the region and Western powers, did not name any countries, but his remarks appeared aimed at Sunni Arab states that have only low-level ties with his Shiite-led government.
He said Iraq was now a vastly different country from that under former president Saddam Hussein, who ruled with an iron fist for decades until his ouster in 2003 by US-led forces.
“Iraq today is different from the previous Iraq which assaulted its neighbors. Iraq ... is ready to play a constructive role in security and stability in the region,” Maliki said at the start of the meeting.
He rattled off a list of grievances Iraq had with neighboring states.
“It’s difficult for us to explain why diplomatic ties have not been resumed with Iraq. Many other foreign countries have kept diplomatic missions in Baghdad regardless of security considerations,” Maliki said.
No ambassador from a Sunni Arab nation has been stationed permanently in Baghdad since Egypt’s envoy was kidnapped and killed shortly after arriving in 2005. By comparison, Iraq has growing ties with non-Arab Iran.
Promises have been made by Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to open up embassies in Baghdad and the US hope is that if Riyadh announces firm plans and dates then others will follow.
The Kuwait meeting is a follow-on from gatherings of Iraq’s neighbors as well as permanent members of the UN Security Council that were held in Turkey and Egypt last year.
Maliki said Iraq had made great strides since then.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is at the meeting, has said she would push hard for Arab neighbors to “meet their obligations” and step up financial and diplomatic support that has not been forthcoming since 2003.
About US$66.5 billion of Iraq’s foreign debt has been forgiven, according to US State Department estimates. Of the estimated US$56 billion to US$80 billion debt that remains, more than half is owed to Gulf countries, the department said.
Maliki said Iraq was still waiting for relief of the remaining debt as well as a reduction in compensation it owes because of Saddam’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
“The canceling of debts and the suspension of compensation that Iraq pays would present a positive message to Iraq’s people that there is a real wish to help them overcome crises and speed up reconstruction,” Maliki said.
Maliki also urged neighboring countries to make more effort to prevent militants crossing into Iraq.
Iraq’s recent attempts to crush Shiite militias will also be a central topic at the meeting and Maliki is expected to urge Arab countries to back those efforts.
Rice has said she has no plans to meet in Kuwait with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. She accuses Iran of contradicting its stated aim of stabilizing Iraq by arming the militias.
During a photo opportunity at the opening of the conference, Rice stood between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Maliki, positioning herself four places to the left of Mottaki.
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