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Kurdistan-Saudi ties
14.4.2010
By Baqi Barzani, a longtime contributing writer for ekurd.net |
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April
14, 2010
President Jalal Talabani’s recent visit to Saudi
Arabia on last Sunday was chiefly aimed at placating
the Saud royal family about baseless allegations
that the Saudi government was meddling into the
Iraqi politics, one-sidedly favoring the pro-Sunni
Premier Iyad Allawi.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said last
Thursday Iraq's efforts to build diplomatic ties
with Saudi Arabia had not been reciprocated and more
would be "useless" without a change of heart from
Riyadh. He also lashed out at other neighboring
countries while, snubbing to cite Iran’s most
pernicious role in Iraq. In response, Saudi
officials censured the dire security situation in
Iraq for not being able to resume full diplomatic
ties, paused after Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait in
1990. Border security concerns and sympathy for Arab
Sunnis have strained mutual ties between Baghdad and
Riyadh and pro-Iranian Al-Maliki’s rhetoric has not
been effective in repairing the formerly tensed
relations.
Despite repudiation, Saudi has not remained
indifferent to the burgeoning menace posed by the
Iranian-backed Shiites in Iraq. Saudi officials have
long been skeptical of the government of Prime
Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. They consider it a
largely pro-Shiite entity that only seeks the
interests of Shiite Muslims, totally marginalizing
Sunni minorities. Saudi Arabia which is a
predominantly Wahabbi society has always been
concerned about Iranian sectarian expansion in Arab
states. The 2003 invasion of Iraq shifted the
balance of power and drastically increased struggle
for sectarian hegemony.
The idiosyncratic invitation to the Custodian of the
Two Holy Mosques in Saudi extended to Jalal
Talabani, Massoud Barzani, the Kurdish Regional
Government president and his coupled delegation
bodes well. It was certainly a much-anticipated
historical opportunity for the Kurdish nation. It is
also suggestive of recognition and appreciation of
the decisive role played by the Sunni Kurds in
post-Saddam Iraqi politics.
Both Kurdish Iraqi president and the Kurdish
Regional Government president were invited and held
separate talks with senior Saudi officials.
Kurdish-Saudi diplomatic, political and economics
channels should be established discretely from
Baghdad and bilateral cooperation needs to further
be increased between Riyadh and Kurdish Regional
Government. Saudis needs to be enticed to open up
more consulates and institutions in Kurdistan. Given
Saudis peerless global role in the Arab and Islamic
worlds,www.ekurd.netits
possession of the world's largest reserves of oil,
and its strategic location, bolstering ties with the
largest country in the Arabian Peninsula bears huge
significance for Kurdistan. Saudi Arabia is an
important political, religious, business, and
sectarian ally for the Kurds and its huge
philanthropist contribution in the campaign against
global terrorism and reconstruction of Iraq deserves
special praise.
Baqi Barzani is a
Kurdish citizen of Sought Kurdistan [Iraq]. He
advocates the notion of " establishing an
independent Kurdish state". He contributes to
various Kurdish media outlets, especially ekurd.net.
Copyright © 2010 ekurd.net. All rights reserved
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