|
Jalal Talabani interview
18.10.2006
|
|
|
|
Iraq's President Jalal
Talabani says Iraq's violence could be ended if
neighbouring states Iran and Syria were directly
involved in the stabilisation efforts. Here is the
full text of the interview given to the BBC's Jim
Muir on October 17, 2006.
BBC: You've just been on an extensive visit
to America, and Condoleezza Rice was here even more
recently. Do you have the impression that Washington
is starting to lose patience with Iraq?
Talabani: There
are some people who are impatient. And the public
opinion of the USA has started to be impatient
because they were expecting more developments in the
situation especially in the security.
But I saw President Bush and all the main elements
of the American politicians, congress, are
determined to continue until the final success, and
even Democrats are not for immediate removal of
forces from Iraq because they are understanding the
consequences of such a kind of work. |
Iraqi
President : Jalal Talabani, a Kurd
Photo: Military |
BBC: A lot of plans and possible scenarios
are currently being discussed in America, by the
Baker commission etc. Are you worried the Americans
may decide three or four months from now to pull out
of Iraq?
Talabani: No. I
am not worried. I am sure no-one will decide to pull
out quickly in Iraq.
BBC: But how long can they stay? It does not
seem to be getting any better.
Talabani: This
is the issue they are discussing now in the USA. The
democrats are for the redeployment of the forces in
Iraq, and a new kind of administration and
arrangement of the forces and co-operation with
Iraqis. While the Republicans are in the same line
of President George W Bush.
BBC: What would work at this stage? Should
the Americans stay as long as it takes, or should
they have a withdrawal plan?
Talabani: It
depends on the developments in Iraq. If we are able
to implement our agreements such as the decisions of
the political council of national security and the
agreement between two blocs, Sunnis and Shias,
Tawafuq and Ittilaf, and the national reconciliation
appeal of Prime Minister [Nouri] Maliki, I think
there will be a new Iraq, secure, and there will be
a possibility of the multinational forces to think
about withdrawal or a timetable for withdrawal.
BBC: But that's a very big if. All the plans
so far got nowhere.
Talabani: No it
is working. Look at the situation of Iraqi different
parties. One year before, they were not ready to sit
down to talk to each other. Now they are
co-operating with each other, they are talking to
each other, they are meeting in different groups and
commissions in parliament, government, the
presidency, and they are thinking together how to
solve the problems of Iraq, and they reached good
agreements.
Any kind of agreement is first starting with
reaching and signing the agreement, then
implementing it. The first step has been done. Now
we are waiting the second, and I hope it will be,
because everyone is in need of security in this
country, and there is a general feeling among the
people that there must be an end to this bloodshed.
BBC: But how? The Iraqi parliament recently
passed a new law for a federal system involving
setting up regional entities, but the Sunnis didn't
approve, nor did half the Shia.
Talabani: This
is one of issues or problems of Iraq. According to
the constitution, Iraq is a federal state. According
to the constitution, different provinces have the
right to form a kind of regional government and
elect a regional parliament. I think also people
decided to postpone it for 18 months, so there is a
feeling even among those who are supporting
federation, that there must be a kind of consensus
among different groups and parties and without the
support of the majority of the people there will be
no other regions.
BBC: But the Sunnis are not supporting, and
now the insurgency groups, the Mujahideen Shura
Council, announced an Islamic state in Sunni areas.
Talabani:
[Laughs] This is something to laugh at. Some
terrorist groups are announcing they have decided to
form a government. I think it's a kind of joke
rather than a serious thing. They are not
controlling even any village to announce this. It is
not like Kurdistan when we were controlling a big
part of the country. Now all towns and provinces are
under the control of government and MNF
[multi-national forces], so this is some kind of
wishful thinking.
BBC: Coming back to the Americans, do you get
the impression America is preparing for action
against Iran and they want to get Iraq finished
first?
Talabani: No,
no. On the contrary, my impression is that America
is believing in dialogue and in a political solution
for issues with Iran, not for war.
We think this is best way, to have a dialogue
between the Americans and the Iranians about Iraq,
with the participation of the Iraqi side, because
both sides back the government here, there is no
differences between the US and Iran in theory about
Iraq, but there are in practice.
BBC: If Iran and Syria were involved in
helping a solution would it make a difference?
Talabani: If
Iran and Syria were involved in helping the Iraqi
people it will be the beginning of the end of
terrorism and securing Iraq within months.
BBC: Condoleezza Rice warned that sectarian
warfare or problems were now more dangerous than the
insurgency. Is Iraq now on the brink of a civil war?
Talabani: Well I
cannot agree with this claim that sectarianism is
more dangerous than terrorism. I think this
sectarianism is also a threat to the national unity,
and to the national reconciliation and perhaps it is
the main obstacle in the way of national
reconciliation and reaching agreement between all
Iraqi political groups.
But the threat will remain the foreign terrorist
invasion of Iraq. They recognised that they lost
4,000 foreigners in fighting against the Iraqi
people. Imagine if they lost 4,000, how many
thousands did they bring inside Iraq, those
criminals coming from different parts of the world,
concentrating here against this new democratic
experiment of Iraq.
They want to turn Iraq into a new Afghanistan at the
time of Taleban regime. So we are convinced that if
the terrorism will be defeated it will also help the
end of this kind of sectarianism, which is also a
danger, which is also an obstacle in the way of
national reconciliation.
BBC: When you see what has been happening in
Balad - what is the best way to stop it?
Talabani: The
best way is implementation of this agreement which
was signed in presence of [Sunni] Vice-President
Tareq al-Hashemi and in the office of Prime Minister
Maliki. And there is another proposal now that both
Sunnis and Shias must co-operate and share
responsibility for securing Baghdad.
They must together work to secure all areas, the
Shias will take the responsibility of securing Shia
areas and preventing militias and non-regular arms
there, and the Sunnis will take responsibility for
their areas to calm them down and to prevent
terrorists from working there.
If this plan will be working I think it will help to
end this, help to secure Baghdad. When we will be
able to secure Baghdad there will be a possibility
for ending terrorism all over Iraq.
BBC: Given the sectarian separation that has
come about in recent months, is this possible
solution, partition?
Talabani: It's
very dangerous for Iraq, especially the Arab part of
Iraq. Baghdad, Baqouba, the mixed areas - it is not
so easy to implement this policy of ethnic
cleansing. Nor Kirkuk or Mosul. There is no
possibility of accepting such a kind of policy.
BBC: You used to say that militias could be
part of solution, but the government now believes
the Mehdi Army etc are a problem. What should be
done about militias?
Talabani: I
think some militias is going to be now obstacle in
the way, especially those uncontrolled part of
militia. Sayed Moqtada Sadr has appealed to his
followers inside the Mehdi Army to obey the law, to
prevent the bloodshed, to avoid killing people.
This was a good appeal but it seems that among those
people who call themselves Mehdi Army are some
people who are not controlled, who are perhaps
coming from the fedayeen of Saddam or some others
who lost their jobs, they are committing crimes in
the name of Mehdi Army and I have been told by the
prime minister that he is planning to go to see
Sayed Moqtada and finish this issue with him because
Sayed Moqtada is ready to co-operate in ending this
kind of militia.
Militias must be solved in a way that they must be
turned to official regular forces or to be retired
or to be given other jobs, there should be only one
regular army in Iraq.
BBC: But in al-Anbar there is an agreement
with tribes to use them against the insurgency...
Talabani: This
is temporary, we need to clean the issue of
terrorists and prevent their return, and we need the
support of the local people. So do they. It is like
fish and water. If the water dries up, the fish will
die. It will be the beginning of the end of
terrorism.
BBC: Sectarianism, terrorism, criminality -
will the Iraqi forces ever be strong enough to face
these challenges on their own?
Talabani:
Without the support of the people, no. But with the
support of the Iraqi people, all the main political
parties, moderate political groups, yes. We are not
in need of a huge army. We cannot have it at all
because now there is new climate in the country, so
when we need to form new units of the Iraqi armed
forces we must take in consideration the society and
the desire of the people. So we need to have new
army units, but well trained, well equipped and with
stress on better quality rather than numbers.
BBC
Top |
Kurd Net
does not take credit for and is not responsible for the content of news
information on this page
|
® 