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Iran Press: Commentary on Political Aspects of Iraqi Premier's Visit to Tehran

Posted on: Tuesday, 26 July 2005, 12:00 CDT

Text of report by Iranian newspaper E'temad web site on 26 July

Political desk: Although Iran and Iraq tried to portray the Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Ja'fari's three-day visit to Tehran as being concerned mainly with economic issues, nevertheless, that visit never succeeded to free itself from the heavy weight of the political margins of the relations between the two countries or in the region as a whole.

In a report from Tehran, Washington Post described al-Ja'fari's visit to the Iranian capital as the sign of a new coalition that could upset the political and religious balance of power in the region. According to that American newspaper, at the moment, Iran has been turned into Iraq's closest ally after America, and a coalition between Iran and Iraq could have long-term consequences for the Middle East, especially as Ja'fari's government is the first and the most important Shi'i government in the Arab world.

At the same time, Javad Zarif, Iran's permanent envoy at the United Nations, in comments to the same newspaper stressed that relations between Tehran and Baghdad should not worry anyone. He pointed out that especially in view of the existing tensions in the region, that relationship could produce positive outcomes.

Those sensitivities were further aggravated when it was reported from Tehran that Ja'fari had signed a security agreement in Sa'dabad Palace in Tehran. According to al-Hayat newspaper, although both sides have kept quiet about the contents of that security agreement, one of the members of the delegation accompanying Ja'fari has stressed that despite rumours Iraqi military forces will not be trained in Iran, but in Jordan. This step is aimed at calming the anxieties of the Iraqi Sunnis regarding co-operation between the Shi'i Iraqi government and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Ayad Smarra'i, the deputy leader of the Islamic Party in Iraq, that is regarded as the largest Sunni party active in political issues in Iraq, in an interview with al-Hayat newspaper has described what he called Iran's interference in Iraq's affair as intolerable. According to that Sunni Iraqi leader, America's interference in Iraqi affairs is enough, and there is no need for the interference of other countries. According to Smarra'i, if greater closeness between Iran and Iraq could result in strengthening the controls over borders and preventing fighters from entering Iraq, it could have some positive consequences for Baghdad. At the same time, that Sunni leader warned Iran to refrain from supporting a particular [religious] group in Iraq because that could have dangerous consequences.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Ba'thist party that had led a destructive eight-year war between the two nations, in reacting to Ja'fari's visit to Iran has described it as against the interests of the Arabs and the Sunnis. This was also reported by the BBC radio. Mas'ud Zeybari, an Iraqi professor of political science in a British university, told the BBC: "A number of other Iraqi politicians are suspicious of the deepening of relations between Iran and Iraq." According to that university professor, normally the secularists and the Sunnis do not support closer relations between Iran and Iraq. Those individuals are among those who have had relations with the former Iraqi regime. They are also trying to make sure that even in connection with 1975 Algiers Agreement [with Iran] Iraq should deal with Iran with caution and restraint.

The Iraqi Sunnis and secularists believe that Ja'fari's closeness with Iran, especially as he spent 10 years in Iran and even studied at Qom Religious Seminary, could result in further isolating the Sunnis, something that would result in religious tension and a wave of violence in Iraq.

Such stances are reported by news sources despite the fact that Iranian and Iraqi officials have always stressed the need for firm co-operation between the two countries as a basis for peace, friendship and peaceful co-existence.

Alongside those reports, German news agency has reported from Tehran that the officials from the two countries have provided assurances that the aim of co-operation between the two sides is to fight against terrorism, especially as some people have made use of the Koran as a pretext for resorting to violence. On Sunday, that news agency quoted Ibrahim al-Ja'fari as saying: "We must show to the world that Islam has always been the religion of peace and humanity."

Euro News television network also broadcast a report about that visit. It announced that after many years of hostility, Iran and Iraq have established friendly relations between them. It added: "The Iranian President Mohammad Khatami whose term is coming to the end met with an Iraqi delegation made up of more than ten cabinet ministers led by Ibrahim al-Ja'fari, the Iraqi prime minister." According to that television network, Washington is worried about warm relations between the two countries, because Washington accuses Iran of supporting anti-American resistance.

In its French programme, the Euro News referred to the three-day visit of the Iraqi delegation to Iran as the sign of the historical closeness between the two countries. It added: "Between the years 1980 and 1989 those two neighbours were engaged in a war that killed a million people. However, from 1993 their bilateral relations began to improve. The improvement in their relations has given rise to the anxiety of America and the Arab countries in the region."

The same view has been confirmed by New Zealand Herald, published in New Zealand. That New Zealand newspaper published in Wellington, in its yesterday's edition wrote: "Despite America's wishes, the Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Ja'fari has travelled to Iran at the head of a high-ranking delegation in order to improve relations between the two countries, despite the fact that America did not want that visit to go ahead."

Radio Farda also admitted that American officials have tried to downplay their anxiety about Ibrahim al-Ja'fari's visit to Iran. It added: "America knows that sooner or later Iraq will improve her relations with Iran, but in any case Washington wants the Iraqi prime minister not to go too far in that direction."

Meanwhile, the semi-official Iraqi newspaper al-Sabah described the visit of the Iraqi prime minister to Iran as a sign of the independence of the Iraqi government in establishing good relations with all countries, especially the neighbouring countries. In its Sunday's edition, that newspaper wrote: " al-Ja'fari's government is intent on expanding Iraqi relations with Iran on its own and without paying attention to any foreign pressures."

Fox News, Channel Five of the French Television, Channel One of the Russian Television and various Austrian networks have also described that visit as a turning point in the relations between the two countries. Referring to the eight-year long war between the two countries, they have described that visit as an effort to reduce the differences between the two neighbouring countries.

As was pointed out earlier, the presence of ten Iraqi ministers, most of whom are active in economic fields, was not able to overshadow the political considerations that have dominated that visit. In a report about that visit, al-Arabiyya television network has referred to the issues on the margins of that visit. It refers to the presence of American bodyguards who had the task of protecting al-Ja'fari in Sa'dabad Palace, because they were present in Iran for the first time about three decades after the fall of the Pahlavi regime.

Although al-Ja'fari's remarks about keeping the implementation of the Algiers Agreement on hold, and the meaningful silence of Arab and Western media on the issue could be the topic of great debate and discussion, nevertheless, that issue was not ignored by Najah Muhammad Ali, the expert on Iranian affairs in al-Arabiyya television network. In a report on that issue, he said that during his visit to Tehran al-Ja'fari has asked to postpone any discussion about the 1975 Algiers Agreement that had been used as a spark to ignite the eight-year long Iran-Iraq war. However, after the 1990 Kuwait war, in order to win Iran's support, Saddam once again recognized that agreement.

Nevertheless, al-Ja'fari remained silent about dealing with that agreement, while in the past he had declared that as that agreement had been signed during the shah's regime between Iran and Saddam Husayn's regime in Iraq it needed extensive discussion between the two countries in order to implement it.

According to Najah Muhammad Ali, the expert on Iranian affairs in al-Arabiyya television network, Iraqi officials regard that agreement as a heavy legacy from the former Iraqi regime, which in view of dealing with historical, geographical, political and economic issues is of great sensitivity. But which of the five clauses of that agreement need a great deal of debate?

In any case, when the 100 billion dollar reparation of the Iraqi war with Iran could be turned into a similar amount of aid to the Iraqi government as the result of the visit of a few Iraqi delegations, without doubt Iraqi officials are anxious to see what else they can gain from this [Iranian] table!

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East

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