Reuters Interviews His Eminence Ammar Al-Hakeem

1-11-2008

Badrtimes - His eminence Sayed  Ammar Al-Hakeem stressed that Iraq views the  Security Agreement with the United States through five basic measures which are the  national sovereignty  and the amount of support that this agreement provides to  this  sovereignty, transparency  and the absence of secret supplements, which could lead the Iraqi government to have  doubts about the  sincerity  of this Security Agreement , the national consensus and the agreement of the  Iraqi components about the convention, which is meant to be a reason to unite Iraqis and not a reason for their division, it should be submitted to the  House of Representatives to gain the approval of the  representatives of the people Iraqi, it should not be against any of the neighboring countries and that Iraq should be a station to promote peace, stability and security in the region and not to be a source of concern for any of the neighboring countries.

This came during a press interview by the correspondent of Reuters news agency with his eminence Sayed Ammar Al-Hakeem in the special office of Sayed Al-Hakeem, Head of the Iraqi Islamic Supreme Council and Leader of the United Iraqi Alliance.

 The interview addressed   many of the subjects and issues that concern the Iraqi issue.

The following is the text of the interview:

 

Reporter / what is your position as Alliance and as Shi'ite officials towards the security Agreement? What are your reservations about it?

 
Al-Hakeem / we always look at this Convention through certain measures we have put from the beginning that the negotiating process continued over the past months.

Based on those standards that have been identified by five basic measures which are the national sovereignty and the amount of support that this agreement provides for this sovereignty, transparency and the absence of the secret supplements, which could lead the Iraqi government to have doubts about the  sincerity of the  Security Agreement.

 The third characteristic is the national consensus and the agreement of the Iraqi components about this convention, which is meant to be a reason for the unity of Iraqis and not a cause for their division.

 We do not want the Convention to be Sunni or Shiite or Kurdish but we want it to be an Iraqi Convention and thus acceptable to all parties and the essential components in Iraq.

 We also stipulated that it should be submitted to the House of Representatives to gain the approval of the Iraqi people.

The fifth measure is that it should not be against the neighboring countries and we want Iraq to be a station to promote peace, stability and security in the region and not a source of concern for any of the neighboring countries. 

     I think that the recent drafts have achieved significant development compared to the past but still need more development and dissemination to achieve these five principles.

Reporter / where is the imbalance of these principles in the latest draft of the Convention?

 

Al-Hakeem / We are not about to get involved in the details, and many points, formulations and what reflects the Iraqi sovereignty have clearly been marked and that it has been noticed that there is a need to develop these formulations and phrases to achieve these five principles.

 

Reporter / in your opinion, is there any time for making amendments for some paragraphs of the security Convention?

 

Al-Hakeem / certainly there are efforts being made by the Prime Minister and the negotiating delegation which is composed of the representatives of all the Iraqi components, which is still continuing its movements.

 The cabinet held a meeting to make a certain perception about the Ministers' views on this issue, and we hope, through making contacts, to reach a common vision for both sides.

 

Reporter / As you know, an agreement should be attained before December  31, 2008, which is the deadline for the presence of the foreign troops in Iraq and it is known that the  U.S. elections will be on November 14, 2008, and within this interval time, where will the Convention be ?

 

Al-Hakeem / certainly the elections in the two countries have, one way or another,  cast a shadow on this Convention, and the  atmosphere of the Convention and dealing  with it through the media or by some political forces, have been affected by the  election conditions experienced by the two countries, at the same time, there is a serious interest from both parties for the purpose of reaching common visions that draw a vision for the nature of the presence of the foreign forces, which the security chiefs in Iraq believe  that we are still in need for  the  assistance of   those forces to complete the readiness and for  building the Iraqi security institution .

We find, at the same time, that we are in need of the presence of these forces which must have a cover, which should either be a bilateral cover as in this Convention or international cover, as in the Security Council resolutions.

Added to that, we need to conclude the present Convention if possible for the sake of which many efforts are being made   or go to extend it in the Security Council until the issuance of resolution by the United Nations for the extension.

 
Reporter/ In case of not signing the Convention there might be a decision concerning the extension. That resolution will be issued by the United Nations. Is it true that the extension will be accompanied by certain conditions?

Al-Hakeem / the concentration,  at this time, is on  the  Convention and the efforts being made by the two sides to reach a satisfactory and convincing bilateral vision and achieves for the Iraqis the five principles, which we have talked about and for the  American side the interests that they  see in this relationship.

 If that is possible, the Convention will signed, but if not the efforts will definitely be concentrated,   between the two sides, on the nature of the draft resolution which will be submitted to the Security Council for approval.

Reporter / you have heard through some political analyses that what is happening now is just winning time, because the Shiites , as  reported, do not want to sign the Security Agreement with the United States until the arrival of the new administration, what is the validity of this talk?

Al-Hakeem / it is well known that many of the large parliamentary blocs registered their position for the need for an amendment to the proposed draft.

The brothers in the Accordance Front, several independent personalities, a number of other blocs and parliamentary lists did not reveal their views, whether negative or positive, thus the united Iraqi  Alliance did not have a single vision concerning the  need for some adjustments and the need to develop these formulations and what we feel is the seriousness of the  Iraqi government and the negotiating team to reach the result, because the two countries need to specify the nature of treatment and regulate  the relationship between them. I do not think that talking about procrastination or so is possible in this context.

Yes, there are complexities and problems, in addition to what we have mentioned of the election climate, the different perception, and the negative visions revealed by some forces and political and popular circles.

That's why we call for the precision in this matter in order to come up with a convincing result to the Iraqi people, all fair-minded people and observers in order to guarantee the interests of the Iraqi people, and by all means it will guarantee the other side's interests and achieve the accord between the two sides.

 

 Reporter / doubts could exist, because the negotiating delegation is Shiite and they called for making amendments to the Convention before submitting it to the Council of Representatives or to the Presidency.

 This is the reason for the doubts that say that Iran does not want to sign this Convention and it has some influence on some Shiite leaders?

Al-Hakeem / it is known that the negotiating delegation is not Shiite rather Iraqi and is composed of all the components.

 The second thing is that Iran is not the only country to show their reservations or comments on this Convention, but there are many countries in the region that have such reservations and that the difference is that Iran clearly expresses its reservations, whereas the other countries express covert manners, and therefore I believe that such impressions have some kind of shunning from the reality and facts on the ground.

 Reporter / to what extent can the Iranian side be influential in this subject?

 Al-Hakeem / as I said, we have always tried, during the last period, to take steps that reassure the countries of the region generally.

All the countries in the region have had concerns towards the Iraqi project, some of which were the political tendencies in this project; others regarding the presence of foreign forces, and some others are about the nature of the democratic system. 

 In front of this, we have worked hard in a way that assures the neighboring countries, but the Iraqi national interest remains the basis for the Iraqi politicians' next resolution.

Reporter / meaning that Iran has no influence? But all say that this decision is Iranian not Iraqi?

 

Al-Hakeem/ this talk is not accurate and the evidence is that the negotiations are still on going for several months.

There have been several drafts and each one had a point of view, and there were reservations.

 All that led to the continuation of the negotiations and reformation of the copies.

This position of the united Iraqi Alliance is the first.

We are in travail, a series of consultations, negotiations and opinion making to develop this Convention in a way that guarantees the interests of both sides.

We believe that the Iraqi interests can be guaranteed through the five indicators that we have mentioned.

It is not the first time for the Iraqi Alliance to make a reservation or a certain point of view on matters and files under discussion.

We are Iraqis and the representatives of the Iraqi Alliance are an essential part of the Iraqi people and they, certainly, start from the Iraqi interest which defines how we talk and have dialogue.

I noticed that many Iraqi leaders visited the regional countries including the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Convention was one of the subjects that have been studied and discussed and we seek to have positive views and perceptions from the regional countries towards the steps adopted by the Iraqis in building their new political project, but the evaluation of the Iraqi national interest and taking the actions and decisions remain an internal Iraqi affair.

 

Reporter / Do you believe that Iran fears the paragraph existing in the current draft?

 

 Al-Hakeem / the question about what Iran fears or not is to be answered by Iran, because it is responsible for its positions, but the Iraqi negotiating delegation saw that some of the texts have the flexibility and elasticity that can sometimes be used in certain situations to make Iraq a corridor or a station for taking actions even under preventive pretexts towards any of the regional countries.

This may be one of the issues that need to be developed to convince everyone that Iraq will always remain a station for promoting peace, building relationships and exchanging of interests.

 

Reporter / Do you think that the agreement could be signed before holding the American elections?

 

Al-Hakeem / as you know, this case is not up to one side in order to decide the timings. It is a process of negotiation between two sides and there are amendments proposed by the Council of Ministers, during a very short period of time, to the American Administration. This Administration, in its turn, has to see how to deal with these amendments and what is their point of view.

 We are in the process of negotiation between the two sides and no previous time ceiling has ever been made by one side towards this matter, and we hope to get convincing results satisfying for both parties.

 

Reporter / In case of failure to sign the security Convention, are you worried, because a lot of Iraqi officials spoke publicly and privately about  grave consequences and that Iraq can not bear the failure of the current  Convention. Are you worried of that?

 

Al-Hakeem / As I have said, the security leaders constantly confirm that  the Iraqi security establishment has not yet reached the level of the readiness that makes it  able to provide full security to the Iraqis and thus they feel the need for the presence of multinational forces, particularly the U.S. forces at this stage.

We, for this consideration, always focus on the options that would help in reaching an acceptable outcome that ensures the Iraqi national sovereignty and achieves the possible coverage for U.S. forces to continue such assistance until the completion of the readiness of Iraqi security forces.

We always optimistically and positively look and hope that it would be possible to reach the results that convince the two sides and achieve the interests of the two peoples. 

 Man should not lose hope in any circumstances and has to do whatever possible to achieve the results which guarantee the interests of both countries.

Reporter / concerning the five measures that you have talked about, are there supplements in the confidential drafts?

 

 Al-Hakeem / nothing of this kind has ever appeared there. 

 I talked about the principles that we set at the beginning of the negotiations and then we progressed in an atmosphere of clear texts.

 We believe that this agreement is linked to the people and the nation, and that the nation must be informed about what is linked to their interests.

 That's why, from the very beginning, we were looking forward to have a transparent and clear relationship, and that our people can get informed about it and thank their leaders, because they have made such achievements of this kind to ensure their interests.

 

Reporter / concerning the amendments made, do you want to touch the substance, because the amendments you are asking for are unclear, and some say that they belong only to formulations and others say they belong to the translation of paragraphs from English into Arabic?

 

Al-Hakeem / This process has not finished yet and I do not think that talking to the mass media about the details of the observations is meaningful, because we are looking for radical solutions that address the matters that serve the interests of the two countries, and I think that still there is a chance for the consultations made by  the two negotiating  Iraqi and American delegations in this regard,  and when we come to a decisive and clear  result we will put  all the details in the hands of the media and public opinion.

 

Reporter / based on your relations and position, what is the position of his eminence Sayed Al-Sistani concerning the Security Pact?

 

Al-Hakeem / There is no doubt that the religious authority does not want to enter into the details and we believe that this is the mission of the political forces.

Imam Sayed Al-Sistani expressed his position on the sensitive issues such as the issue of the constitution, elections, the call to stop the bloodshed, the call for the Iraqis to exercise self-control and to strengthen and deepen the relationship among them. .

 Concerning the Convention, Imam Al-Sistani, from the beginning,   expressed his point of view that this issue is entrusted to the House of Representatives which is elected by the Iraqi people and their representatives in the parliament to deal with such topics, and his eminence did not make an explicit point of view in this regard.

 
Reporter / what is your opinion about the airdropping that happened at the borders with Syria which was carried out by the U.S. forces, and which killed eight people? Does it have a relationship with reassurances of the neighboring countries?

Al-Hakeem / I do not have detailed and accurate information, because all my information is from the media, and as a general principle, we respect the national sovereignty of the neighboring countries and of the region; and we believe that we need to strengthen and deepen the relationship, including the security relations, information exchange and ensuring the safety of the borders in a way that provides greater security and stability for Iraq and the regional countries.

 These are the parameters and the principles according to which we assess the partial details, but I do not have adequate information on the details of this situation.

Reporter / especially that the Iraqi territory have been used for this subject?

 

Al-Hakeem / the matter is the pursuit of the terrorist groups or something like that and it was not intended to offend any of the neighboring countries.

  

 Reporter / concerning the Security Convention, there is a lot of confusion on the Shiite position?

 

Al-Hakeem / There is a concentration on the position of one component and not on that of all the components, and we know, as I referred,  that the majority of the parliamentary blocs and the orientations that  they represent, express  the need for some amendments, or, at least, do not prefer revealing their opinion. 

 There is no specific privacy distinguishing the Iraqi Alliance list, but backgrounds are known in this regard.

 
Reporter / if we want to talk about the provincial elections, have they been arranged through the alliances that will be between the political blocs?

Al-Hakeem / We greatly consider these elections, because they contribute to the strengthening of the democratic process, codifying it more clearly and placing it in the Iraqi society, in addition, it will  help involve the political forces that did not have adequate opportunities to participate in previous elections due to some reasons, say,  security conditions preventing  from participation .

 For all these considerations, the time allotted by the commission for making coalitions and alliances between the parliamentary groups and the various political forces has ended.

The picture has become clear revealing alliances in various circles in all the Iraqi provinces.

As far as the names of the candidates are concerned, lists of names would be submitted to the participating political blocs and at the end of this week; we will have finished the stage of submitting names in order that everyone would be ready for the process of the electoral campaigns and programs.

Reporter / during  the elections to be held in the provinces,  will there be a competition between the Supreme Council, Dawa Party and the Sadr current?

Al-Hakeem / the Supreme Council and many of the political forces allied with it and close to it will participate through independent lists in Baghdad and southern Baghdad and there are broader alliances in Diyala province, certainly in these governorates, since  the process would be about  the internal administration  of the provinces and that the political forces may not have the same weight in all of these provinces,  a certain  party in some provinces may have  wider presence and that another party would have  less  presence.

We do not see that there is an urgent need for making broad alliances before the elections. Certainly, all these forces are national and valid and we will make a coalition with the one that gains the people's confidence after the elections according to the electoral process facts.

Reporter / How is your  relations with the Dawa Party - Prime Minister Al-Maliki's wing, after there were tensions in the recent period?

Al-Hakeem / we see that Dawa party is the strategic ally and we work with it to build this country.

 It is a respectable party and has history and we have always been a strong supporter for the Prime Minister since the beginning of this government until today.

We clearly support this government and this does not mean that there would not sometimes be differences in views and in the distribution of powers and some of the partial details. 

 We do not see that these issues concern the two political sides as much as they concern the federal system, which we seek to jointly build with each other, that   expressing the various views to the public opinion comes in the context of involving the largest number of people in this understanding of the Constitution and of the nature of the powers of this or that party.

Reporter / in case of making an alliance between Dawa party and the Sadr current, is it possible that this will  lead to repercussions on the Iraqi street, especially in the security field such as  conducting assassination  operations and the like, specifically in the southern provinces?

Al-Hakeem / First, we welcome any honest competition based on sound foundations just like the competition in programs and performing projects.

The Iraqi voter entrusts his confidence to the one who is eligible.

This is a normal issue and it is one of the principles of the democratic work, the peaceful transition of power and the exchange of   positions and opportunities, and we are moving ahead in this direction working hard to achieve the highest level of transparency.

  This is what we wish of the Independent High Election Commission, and therefore we are glad for the hard work of the UN Mission to help the Commission and we are quite keen about the attendance of the largest number of observers.

 The world shares the Iraqis their concern and joy in the consolidation of the democratic system in Iraq.

It is an important and fundamental issue and we are also eager that the competent authorities take the appropriate security measures to provide full security in order that the competition remains within its political framework in the programs and projects, and that it does not extend to what harms the political process or disturb the relationship between the political forces.

Reporter / is it possible that security problems occur before the elections?

 Al-Hakeem / We wish there won't be any problems, and there are ongoing contacts with the political forces, and we assure them, in our turn as Supreme Council, that these powers would be allied to us in the future in the light of the data of the electoral process and as a result of the public confidence in these good forces in our country.

We feel obliged to be allied with them, because the Supreme Council does not monopolize the positions or the decision rather it wants to join others in order to promote opportunities for services and provide social well-being for the sons of our people.

 

 Reporter / Do you expect that the Supreme Council would be targeted?

Al-Hakeem / the Supreme Council has always been wise, patient and calm in its treatment and tried to encourage the relevant institutions of the Iraqi state to assume their responsibility in providing safe opportunities for all.

We believe that the competition must take place through legal and legitimate means and this is what we believe in and encourage others to do so.