Arab
League chief Amr Mussa called for a new Iraq Sunday
as he addressed the Kurdish parliament during a
landmark visit aimed at drumming up support for a
national reconciliation conference.
"I hope stability and security will reign in Iraq,
and that fraternity and cooperation will prevail
between its different communities," he told
lawmakers who greeted his speech with applause and a
standing ovation.
The head of the 22-member Arab League had arrived
the day earlier to meet with regional president
Massoud Barzani in a symbolic visit that marked Arab
League recognition of the Kurdish autonomous region,
and government spokesman Leith Kubba said he would
extend his visit to Iraq by one or two days.
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Mussa addressing the Kurdish parliament
Photo: Internet |
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The Arab League chief said he was "happy to hear the
Iraqi national anthem and the Kurdish anthem" played
as the parliament session opened.
"It is an important message to the Arab world from
Kurdistan about the new Iraq," he stressed.
"Iraqi Kurdistan is an important part not only of
Iraq, but also of the Arab world and the Middle
East."
Mussa, on his first trip to Iraq since the fall of
Saddam Hussein in 2003, said Saturday he had won
crucial backing from Shiite spiritual leader Grand
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for his planned attempt to
reconcile Iraq's divided communities.
Mussa met last week with the preeminent Sunni
religious body, the Committee of Muslim Scholars,
and several members of the government in Baghdad.
Shiite radical leader Moqtada Sadr rejected Mussa's
overtures, however, continuing to insist the League
clearly condemn insurgent attacks before he would
talk with the pan-Arab body which wants to hold a
preparatory conference in Cairo on November 15 ahead
of full talks in Iraq.
Mussa told the Kurds: "Each party would be able to
freely express their views on the new Iraq."
www.middle-east-online.com
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