Iraq President to Asharq Al-Awsat: Our Country Won’t Be Platform to Harm its Neighbors

Iraqi President Barham Salih stated that American troops had deployed in his country at his government’s request after the ISIS terrorist group swept through Mosul city. The Americans were tasked with empowering Iraqi forces in confronting the extremist threat, he stressed.

The Iraqi ruler sat down with Asharq Al-Awsat for an interview on the sidelines of the weekend’s Arab Summit that was held in Tunisia.

The understanding was for the Americans to arrive in Iraq without setting up permanent military bases or keeping combat units, Salih explained, while saying his country will not be used as platform to harm its neighbors.

Asked about his participation in the Arab Summit as a Kurdish president of Iraq, Salih replied that the Arab League had previously proposed the idea of a national state. Iraq is a multi-ethnic country that includes Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen and Muslims, Christians and many sects.

“There is so much diversity in the region,” he remarked. “The Arab world is not strictly defined by national or ethnic lines. I represent Iraq and it is part of this Arab world. As Iraqis, we have a real interest to be in touch with the Arab world because that also ensures Iraq’s and the region’s interest.”

Commenting on whether he believes that Iraq is the “weakest link” in the Iraq-Turkey-Iran triangle, Salih stressed: “Definitely not. Iraq has endured difficult circumstances.”

“Observers may differ over when the Iraqi crisis began. There are no disputes that the problem started and became worse when Saddam Hussein came to power in 1979. Then the Iraq-Iran war erupted, followed by the invasion of Kuwait, the consequent siege, the 2003 invasion and the emergence of terrorism,” he noted.

“Iraq has not known stability for four decades,” he lamented. “It was used as an open arena for others to settle scores on its territory. These developments destroyed Iraq, its economy and state.”

He described the victory against ISIS as a “major turning point” that would allow Iraq to “make a comeback” in the region.

“We are a part of this region and we enjoy Islamic neighbors, like Iran and Turkey, and also boast the Arab depth that we spoke about,” Salih explained.

“Our vision stipulates that our interest lies in our relations. We need good ties with Iran. We share 1,400 kilometers with it. We also enjoy historic, social and cultural roots with it. The same goes to Turkey,” he continued. “It is in our favor to have good ties based on good neighborliness and joint interests.”

Furthermore, he remarked that the “absence of the Arab role in Iraq in recent years has left an impact on the country. We hope that the Arab role would be effective and serious in Iraq. It will help Iraqis and allow them overcome the challenges.”

“I am optimistic that Iraq will attain its success. I have sensed during my visits to neighboring countries that there is a regional interest to see Iraq prosper and for Iraqis to enjoy stability. These countries may have different direct agendas over various issues, but I believe that Iraq’s success is an issue they can all agree upon,” Salih told Asharq Al-Awsat.

On how realistic his assertions that Iraq will not become part of any regional axis, he stressed that this issue was “necessary”.

“Iraq cannot be a platform to harm any of our neighbors. We absolutely cannot be a part of any plot to target any of our neighbors. It is not in our interest…. This is a conclusion reached after four decades. We are a part of the region. If we want to meet the demands of reconstruction, providing jobs for our youths and providing services, then we must be in complete peace with our neighbors,” he declared.

Relations with Saudi Arabia

Turning to Saudi Arabia, he remarked that ties with the Kingdom are “growing.”

He had paid a visit to the Kingdom in November where he met with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and several Saudi officials.

“I sensed from King Salman his complete keenness on Iraq,” stated Salih. He also asserted the need to develop relations with Baghdad, while revealing that a Saudi ministerial delegation will soon visit the Iraqi capital to activate the joint Saudi-Iraqi committee.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Madhi is set to visit Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries in mid-April.

“Bolstering relations with the Kingdom is an integral part of our vision for what Iraq’s ties should be like,” Salih said.

Moreover, he described his talks with Crown Prince Mohammed as “good, frank and direct.”

“He was understanding of the situation in Iraq and the need to allow the Iraqis to overcome the challenges and avoid having the country shoulder issues it can do without.”

Constant contact with Damascus

Addressing Syria’s return to the Arab League, he hoped that it would take place.

“Syria has endured dangerous catastrophes and tragedies. What is taking place there is a horrific humanitarian crime that poses a real danger to regional and international security,” he noted. “After all of these years of violence, it is time to help Syria and its people reach political solutions without foreign dictates.”

“It is the Arabs’ duty to embrace Syria and its people and help them overcome hurdles that are preventing them from reaching political solutions. Iraq has called for Syria’s return to the Arab League, but we have not been able to do so during this summit.”

“The situation in Syria is dangerous. Some believe that the risks have been limited now with ISIS’ defeat. I do not share this view. We must not underestimate the remaining terrorist threat in Syria or the severe humanitarian challenge posed by the displaced and refugees. We have a humanitarian, religious and moral duty to work seriously on pushing matters in the right direction,” Salih emphasized.

Asked if he was in contact with Syrian President Bashar Assad, he replied: “There is constant communication between the Iraqi and Syrian governments. We believe it is necessary.”

He also revealed that Iraq’s national security advisor makes frequent visits to Syria to meet with Assad, underscoring the security cooperation between Baghdad and Damascus to control the border and confront terrorist threats.

Corruption in Iraq

The recent ferry disaster in Mosul has once again shed light on the rampant corruption in Iraq. Salih acknowledged the situation, saying: “Corruption and terrorism were two sides of the same coin. If we do not defeat and seriously confront corruption, then it will destroy us. It is a major problem that has been mounting for four decades due to poor management, wars, violence, foreign meddling and other factors.”

“We are now required to carry out serious measures. This is the national and political challenge that we are confronted with,” Salih remarked, noting that the premier was chairing a higher anti-corruption committee. “The solution won’t be easy, but we have no choice but to confront this problem.”

Asked about the “lost billions” in Iraq, Salih revealed that it was very difficult to make an exact estimate, “but massive funds are definitely being squandered and deprived from the people. Often, these funds end up being employed to prolong the cycle of violence and chaos.”

“I am confident, however, that the government and parliament are serious in confronting this problem,” he said.

Undisciplined elements

Asked about Iraq’s ability to contain militias, Salih said that this issue is being “unjustifiably exaggerated.”

“Let us set things straight. When ISIS seized Mosul in 2014, Baghdad came under threat. Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa for jihad at the time and several youths consequently clamored to defend their country. Were it not for the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which was formed at the time, we would have been in imminent danger.”

“It has made great sacrifices and was spearheading the battles to destroy ISIS. The PMF is now fortified by law as part of the state security apparatus. I am not saying that there are no undisciplined elements. Yes, there are as is the case in the army, police, and even the Peshmerga. Dealing with these cases must take place through legal means. We should not generalize and claim that Iraq’s only problem lies in so-called militias,” Salih explained.

Soleimani and Iraq’s voice

On reports that Iraq’s decision-making power effectively lies in the hands of Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, he stated: “During the age of social media, anyone can turn into an analyst and political expert.”

“I say that Iran is an important neighbor to us and it has helped us against oppression and ISIS. It is true that Iran has influence as does Iraq in Iran. The influence is mutual, but the decision-making power ultimately lies in Iraq and its constitutional institutions, meaning the government, parliament and judiciary.”

“No decision can be taken without taking into consideration the current reality. For example, can France take a purely French decision without taking into consideration Europe, the United States and others? We are a part of this region and our decisions must take into consideration the Arabs, Iran, Turkey and Gulf.”

“Iraq is part of this region and it is in our interest to enjoy good relations with Iran based on common interests,” he added. “We have interests to enjoy good ties with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt.”

He noted that Abdul Mahdi had paid visits to Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II and Egypt to meet President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, saying that Baghdad has economic interests that benefit the region.

“Indeed, Iraq is turning into a weighty player in the region. If we look back to the past four decades, we realize that it had fragmented the region’s security, political and economic system, which allowed terrorism and foreign meddling to take root in Iraq. In other words, Iraq’s absence from the regional order was a factor in the eruption of chaos.”

“Now, given its geographic and historic position, it can play a central role in restoring the region and opening channels of contacts between countries. The regional order cannot ignore Iran and Turkey and no one can deny Iraq’s Arab roots. The region is therefore, required to review and form a new regional structure for its security and economy and deal with with the dangers of extremism and unemployment.”

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich has told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US does not plan to withdraw its forces from Syria.

The US is committed to “the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with,” he said.

Here is the full text of the interview.

Question: Mr. Goldrich, thank you so much for taking the time to sit with us today. I know you are leaving your post soon. How do you assess the accomplishments and challenges remaining?

Answer: Thank you very much for the chance to talk with you today. I've been in this position for three years, and so at the end of three years, I can see that there's a lot that we accomplished and a lot that we have left to do. But at the beginning of a time I was here, we had just completed a review of our Syria policy, and we saw that we needed to focus on reducing suffering for the people in Syria. We needed to reduce violence. We needed to hold the regime accountable for things that are done and most importantly, from the US perspective, we needed to keep ISIS from reemerging as a threat to our country and to other countries. At the same time, we also realized that there wouldn't be a solution to the crisis until there was a political process under resolution 2254, so in each of these areas, we've seen both progress and challenges, but of course, on ISIS, we have prevented the reemergence of the threat from northeast Syria, and we've helped deal with people that needed to be repatriated out of the prisons, and we dealt with displaced people in al-Hol to reduce the numbers there. We helped provide for stabilization in those parts of Syria.

Question: I want to talk a little bit about the ISIS situation now that the US troops are still there, do you envision a timeline where they will be withdrawn? Because there were some reports in the press that there is a plan from the Biden administration to withdraw.

Answer: Yeah. So right now, our focus is on the mission that we have there to keep ISIS from reemerging. So I know there have been reports, but I want to make clear that we remain committed to the role that we play in that part of Syria, to the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with, and to the need to prevent that threat from reemerging.

Question: So you can assure people who are saying that you might withdraw, that you are remaining for the time being?

Answer: Yes, and that we remain committed to this mission which needs to continue to be pursued.

Question: You also mentioned the importance of humanitarian aid. The US has been leading on this. Are you satisfied with where you are today on the humanitarian front in Syria?

Answer: We remain committed to the role that we play to provide for humanitarian assistance in Syria. Of the money that was pledged in Brussels, we pledged $593 million just this past spring, and we overall, since the beginning of the conflict, have provided $18 billion both to help the Syrians who are inside of Syria and to help the refugees who are in surrounding countries. And so we remain committed to providing that assistance, and we remain keenly aware that 90% of Syrians are living in poverty right now, and that there's been suffering there. We're doing everything we can to reduce the suffering, but I think where we would really like to be is where there's a larger solution to the whole crisis, so Syrian people someday will be able to provide again for themselves and not need this assistance.

Question: And that's a perfect key to my next question. Solution in Syria. you are aware that the countries in the region are opening up to Assad again, and you also have the EU signaling overture to the Syrian regime and Assad. How do you deal with that?

Answer: For the United States, our policy continues to be that we will not normalize with the regime in Syria until there's been authentic and enduring progress on the goals of resolution 2254, until the human rights of the Syrian people are respected and until they have the civil and human rights that they deserve. We know other countries have engaged with the regime. When those engagements happen, we don't support them, but we remind the countries that are engaged that they should be using their engagements to push forward on the shared international goals under 2254, and that whatever it is that they're doing should be for the sake of improving the situation of the Syrian people.

Question: Let's say that all of the countries decided to talk to Assad, aren’t you worried that the US will be alienated in the process?

Answer: The US will remain true to our own principles and our own policies and our own laws, and the path for the regime in Syria to change its relationship with us is very clear, if they change the behaviors that led to the laws that we have and to the policies that we have, if those behaviors change and the circumstances inside of Syria change, then it's possible to have a different kind of relationship, but that's where it has to start.

Question: My last question to you before you leave, if you have to pick one thing that you need to do in Syria today, what is it that you would like to see happening today?

Answer: So there are a number of things, I think that will always be left and that there are things that we will try to do, to try to make them happen. We want to hold people accountable in Syria for things that have happened. So even today, we observed something called the International Day for victims of enforced disappearances, there are people that are missing, and we're trying to draw attention to the need to account for the missing people. So our step today was to sanction a number of officials who were responsible for enforced disappearances, but we also created something called the independent institution for missing persons, and that helps the families, in the non-political way, get information on what's happened. So I'd like to see some peace for the families of the missing people. I'd like to see the beginning of a political process, there hasn't been a meeting of the constitutional committee in two years, and I think that's because the regime has not been cooperating in political process steps. So we need to change that situation. And I would, of course, like it's important to see the continuation of the things that we were talking about, so keeping ISIS from reemerging and maintaining assistance as necessary in the humanitarian sphere. So all these things, some of them are ongoing, and some of them remain to be achieved. But the Syrian people deserve all aspects of our policy to be fulfilled and for them to be able to return to a normal life.

Iraq President to Asharq Al-Awsat: Our Country Won’t Be Platform to Harm its Neighbors