June 27, 2007


There is no doubt that the Maliki's project of 'national reconciliation' is a political manoeuvre planned by the Pentagon and the State Department's circles in order to pretend, before the American congressionnal elections taking place in November, that there is some progress taking place in the so-called Iraqi "political process ", whose aim is to implement the US project for Iraq.

The essence of this initiative is to give the impression that the danger overshadowing Iraq is Iran and the death squads controlled by it directly or indirectly. And, as a consequence, that the Arab resistance should cooperate with the US and the occupation's government to stand against this danger.

No patriotic sane and conscious individual can fall into this trap, whether he is involved in the armed national resistance or outside it. All are aware that the "political process", whatever disguise they might apply to it, can be resumed as follows : Power to collaborators and Oil to the US.
Changing collaborators doesn't alter the plan.

It is true that Iran and those who are allied with it, believed that they could, by imposing their hegemony on power, play as the best steady servants of US' plans and policies in the region, while at the same time fullfill their own interests. But the US, as every big power, doesn't put all its eggs in one basket, especially when there are plenty available who compete to offer the same services: The Iraqi Sunni Islamist parties, the Kurds' leaderships and even some secular parties.

We know that all these groups neither serve the Iraqi people's interests nor its will to be free from foreign hegemony over its life, land and resources. On the other hand, we, Arabs of Iraq, do not consider the Iranian people as enemy, although we strongly refuse the Iranian intervention in our national interior affairs. We call upon the people of Iran to stand side by side with the Iraqi people in its sufferings by forcing its government to stop supporting the occupation's government. And, we hope that once Iraq has successfully been liberated and stands independent, we will be able to achieve the common Iraqi/Iranian interests, by establishing dialogue and cooperation in a peaceful and civilized manner.

In reality, after these three catastrophic years of American occupation through which the US has tried to impose its plans for Iraq by military force, it has been proved to Iraqis, Americans and the World, that what they call the "political process" is a complete and flagrant failure:

It is true that there is a parliament, a constitution, a government and an army. But,
- The Parliament isn't a parliament designed to serve Iraq and the people of Iraq; it only serves the interests of its members and their families.
- The constitution is a 'jaljalutia'(1), and a war declaration to the unity of Iraq and to the idea of a modern state, which is normally based on the concept of citizenship rather than sectarian, religious and ethnic virtual affiliations.
- The government is only a government with no state and the ministers are ministers with no effective apparatus.
- The army is simply constituted of party militias controlled by US-Iraqi operationnal teams and the secret intelligence services' agents.

But, in addition, these three years have proved that the Iraqi islamist parties participating with the US in this so-called process, be they Sunni or Shia, might be useful for something but surely not to direct a government or a state.They corrupted and brought chaos to every institution or village they've entered.They politically failed and failed forever. Not only because they cooperated with the occupation but also because they created extreme difficultlies and problems for ordinary people and for Iraq which need to be resolved, while they didn't solve any problem Iraq faced and is facing. They only spent their time and efforts trying to crush the culture and terrorizing men and women of the military and civil, technical, scientific and management cadres which iraq posseded. Those very ones who could face the difficult situation Iraq is going through, thanks to sience and knowledge. as they have proved their ability and efficiency many times before.

In fact, the US found itself with a client state, governed by ignorance, backwardness, and religious and ethnic fascism.
If this government, Maliki's government, as a result of US pressure, decides to liberate prisoners or to stop military attacks against towns and suburbs, or to comply to other demands that our people has formulated consistently for the past three years, we will rejoice. But, we will not consider these moves but as the proof that these are normal and legitimate rights of our innocent citizens, and, we thank our national Resistance for forcing the occupation to respect our people and its will.

Furthermore, the US policy of: "I show you death so you will accept the fever" will not work with us, we will neither be cheated by propaganda which declares good intentions in order to practice the opposite, nor are we fooled by the policy of halting minor crimes to commit bigger ones. And, it will not escape from our knowlege that if the US intends to lower the number of Marines on the roads it is in fact to increase the use of US airforce instead.

Our insistance on complete and unconditionnal withdrawal of US troops and its allies is unshakable. Our insistance on real Independence and Democracy is unshakable. And the insistance of our people on these principles has been proved by its struggle throughout these bloody full of sufferings years.

If the Americans want to get rid of these Iraqi islamist parties, or their militias, initially promoted and imposed by them, it is their business. We, in the anti-occupation movement will not be a US instrument in doing so. We not only want to get rid of these militias, we want, in addition, to get rid of the occupation and achieve independence and democracy.

Abdul Ilah Al Bayaty - political analyst - member of the BRussells Tribunal Advisory Committee
edited by Hana Abdul Ilah Al Bayaty - member of the BRussells Tribunal Executive Committee

(1) an Iraqi Baghdadi expression for a long piece of declaration, which is confusing, which doesn't bring the reader to any kind of understanding, maybe because of its length or its content.