Dead Sea, Jordan: We want the US to have a new strategy in Iraq,” Saleh Al Mutlaq, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister told Gulf News. “We want the Americans to be more involved in the fight against Daesh.”
The Iraqi army is being outfought by Daesh, which has stronger and better weapons, said Al Mutlaq at the World Economic Forum meeting on the Middle East at the Dead Sea in Jordan.
“Daesh has armoured vehicles that the army cannot destroy till they get far too close, so we need American support to arm our people with modern weapons that can defeat Daesh,” Al Mutlaq told Gulf News.
“We need to attack Daesh and the Americans need to change their red lines in our country. At present they have established that they will support the fight in certain parts of Iraq, but we need to adopt red lines that cover the entire country, not just part of it.”
The Fallujah-born politician was urging a complete rethink from what he described as the current passive approach to the crisis in Iraq, arguing that more international commitment to the fight was needed to drive Daesh out of the country and restore national government.
Iran
Iran is playing a positive role in the fight against Daesh, Al Mutlaq had told an earlier session of the World Economic Forum, noting that Iran was the first to supply arms to the Iraqis with which to fight Daesh.
Nonetheless, he was very concerned that Iran’s role should remain positive in the future. “We want cooperation with our neighbour,” Al Mutlaq said. “They back several popular militias and they are welcome to fight on the side of the tribes. They also have an influence on several blocs.
“But we do not want the Iranian-backed militias to turn into another military power inside Iraq. We only want a single army. At present Iran supports several militias in Iraq and this destabilisation needs to be addressed.”
Al Mutlaq is well aware that Iran is more powerful than Iraq at present, and that Iraq needs support in the necessary dialogue with its neighbour. This is why he would like to see other Arab states joining Iraq in dialogue with Iran to maintain a fairer balance.
“Any bilateral dialogue would not be fair,” Al Mutlaq told Gulf News. “We need a dialogue between the Arab region and Iran in order to reach an end that will survive. We need to recognise that Iran’s export of its Islamic theology leads to destablisation in Iraq and further afield in the region.
“When we have a balanced relationship and a more stable state, Iran will be the beneficiary of a much more prosperous Iraq, willing to trade and develop strong economic links.”
Inclusive Iraq
Speaking to Gulf News after the session, Al Mutlaq emphasised that Iraq has to be rebuilt for the benefit of all Iraqis and that excessive Iranian influence on Iraqi society could wreck that process.
“We need a political solution in which every citizen feels that he has a future in the country. Every individual must feel that he can rely on justice and not be excluded. Unless that is in place, he will not join the fight against Daesh,” he said.
The veteran politician was speaking with some experience of seeking inclusivity. As a Sunni member of the Baath Party in 1977 he had protested at the unfair trial of five Shiites accused of plotting against the state. He was expelled from the party and only returned to politics after the 2003 invasion in the non-sectarian National Dialogue Front that is currently the fifth largest party in the Iraqi parliament.
