Inatl conference: debt relief, reform, proxy war
"The Thursday conclave [at the international conference in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt] centered around trying to persuade the international community, particularly the Persian Gulf countries, to agree to a debt relief and financial aid for Iraq. The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said that donor countries, including Britain, Saudi Arabia and China, pledged to waive $30 billion in Iraqi debt.
In return, Baghdad promised to enact a series of reforms, like better inclusion of the country’s Sunni minority in the political process, an oil law and better legal protections for Iraqi Sunnis and Kurds." [1]
"Iraq has become a proxy battlefield for influence in the region between the Shiite Muslim government of Iran and the Sunni-led capitals of the Arab world. While the United States would like to help buttress Iraq’s Shiite-led central government, some Arab capitals have been reluctant to offer their support out of concern that they would, in turn, be helping to empower Iran.
Arab leaders believe that the presence of American troops in Iraq are destabilizing the region, inciting people to adopt the most radical Islamic ideologies. But they fear that a precipitous withdrawal would lead to civil war and give Iran a stronger hand in Iraq than it already has, analysts and former officials said." [2]
"For their part, the [U.S] official said, Arab governments need to show more appreciation of the problems Maliki faces and the progress, however slow, he has made. Iraq's Sunni Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, do not understand "what's really happening in Iraq," he said.
The official, who briefed reporters after attending the Rice-Maliki meeting, said that negative Arab views of Maliki's Shiite-dominated government are skewed by a fixation on the Sunni-Shiite divide, based on information from "interested parties" inside Iraq.
While the administration shares their concerns about Sunni minority rights and Shiite Iran's growing influence in Baghdad, he said, the answer "is not exclusion, passivity and ostracization of Iraq" by its neighbors." [3]
sources
[1] Cooper, Helene & Elsen, Jon. (The New York Times). U.S. Officials Meet Briefly With Iranians. May 4, 2007.
[2] Slackman, Michael & Cooper, Helene. (The New York Times). Concern Is High and Unity Hopes Are Nil at Talks on Iraq. May 3, 2007.
[3] DeYoung, Karen. (The Washington Post). Rice Presses Maliki on Eve Of Conference on Iraq Aid. May 3, 2007.
posted: wednesday, may 9, 2007, 9:48 AM ET
tags: iraq sharm el sheik
In return, Baghdad promised to enact a series of reforms, like better inclusion of the country’s Sunni minority in the political process, an oil law and better legal protections for Iraqi Sunnis and Kurds." [1]
"Iraq has become a proxy battlefield for influence in the region between the Shiite Muslim government of Iran and the Sunni-led capitals of the Arab world. While the United States would like to help buttress Iraq’s Shiite-led central government, some Arab capitals have been reluctant to offer their support out of concern that they would, in turn, be helping to empower Iran.
Arab leaders believe that the presence of American troops in Iraq are destabilizing the region, inciting people to adopt the most radical Islamic ideologies. But they fear that a precipitous withdrawal would lead to civil war and give Iran a stronger hand in Iraq than it already has, analysts and former officials said." [2]
"For their part, the [U.S] official said, Arab governments need to show more appreciation of the problems Maliki faces and the progress, however slow, he has made. Iraq's Sunni Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, do not understand "what's really happening in Iraq," he said.
The official, who briefed reporters after attending the Rice-Maliki meeting, said that negative Arab views of Maliki's Shiite-dominated government are skewed by a fixation on the Sunni-Shiite divide, based on information from "interested parties" inside Iraq.
While the administration shares their concerns about Sunni minority rights and Shiite Iran's growing influence in Baghdad, he said, the answer "is not exclusion, passivity and ostracization of Iraq" by its neighbors." [3]
sources
[1] Cooper, Helene & Elsen, Jon. (The New York Times). U.S. Officials Meet Briefly With Iranians. May 4, 2007.
[2] Slackman, Michael & Cooper, Helene. (The New York Times). Concern Is High and Unity Hopes Are Nil at Talks on Iraq. May 3, 2007.
[3] DeYoung, Karen. (The Washington Post). Rice Presses Maliki on Eve Of Conference on Iraq Aid. May 3, 2007.
posted: wednesday, may 9, 2007, 9:48 AM ET
tags: iraq sharm el sheik
Labels: iraq, middle east, proxy, sectarian
posted by eric at 8:22 AM
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