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Egyptian Leader, Visiting Iraqi Security Adviser Discuss Syria, US Withdrawal

Posted on: Sunday, 13 November 2005, 15:00 CST

Text of report in English by Egyptian news agency MENA; subheadings inserted editorially

Cairo, 13 November: Iraqi National Security Adviser Muwaffaq al- Rubay'i on Sunday [13 November] said that President Husni Mubarak reiterated during their meeting today his keenness on supporting Iraq and protecting its stability and unity.

The president highlighted the importance of cooperation with the Iraqi government in the various political and media domains and asserted Egypt's readiness to fully cooperate with the Iraqi security and police forces through offering training for their cadres, Al-Rubay'i said.

He said that he carried to Mubarak an invitation from Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to visit Iraq noting that such a visit would be really historic for two reasons, first because of Egypt's weight in the Arab region and second because it would encourage Arab presence in Iraq.

The Iraqi official said that he conveyed to the president the greetings and congratulations of the Iraqis to Egypt on the occasion of holding its parliamentary elections and in appreciation of its diplomatic efforts to serve the Iraqi cause at international forums.

He said Mubarak entrusted him with an invitation to the Iraqi president to visit Egypt.

Iraqi National Security Adviser Muwaffaq Al-Rubay'i said that President Talabani accepted Mubarak's invitation and planned to visit Egypt in the near future.

He said that he discussed with Mubarak Egypt's contributions to the reconstruction of Iraq.

Syrian border

Talks also covered border infiltrations into Iraq from Syria of suicide bombers and car bombs. Al-Rubay'i said that though Iraq did not want to stir up trouble with any of its neighbours, yet it would no longer stand handfolded [as published] while seeing suicide bombers and car bombs cross to it from neighbouring Syria.

He said that he asked President Mubarak to intervene with the Syrian brothers to make Syria tighten security on its borders and stop those border infiltrations.

Iraqi national security adviser Al-Rubay'i said that Iraq wished to benefit from Egyptian expertise in fighting religious fanaticism and terrorism.

Withdrawal

He said he informed President Mubarak of the Iraqi government's plans to sign an agreement with the foreign forces in the country to create the convenient atmosphere for the transfer of security responsibilities from the Multinational Forces to the Iraqi security forces.

According to Al-Rubay'i, under the agreement foreign forces are to withdraw from 12 of 18 Iraqi governorates, thus reducing the foreign military presence in Iraq.

He said that the agreement could only materialise after the building of the Iraqi forces and security and intelligence agencies.

Al-Rubay'i predicts that by mid next year more that 30,000 foreign troops will be withdrawn from Iraq. Hopes are that 60,000 or so multinational troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the next year, bringing down to less than 100,000 the number of foreign troops deployed in the country by the beginning of 2007.

The Iraqi national security adviser said he talked with President Mubarak about Iraq's future security, reconstruction and economic plans. "We discussed Iraq's political process and its determination to build a democratic state, where power could be handed down from one person to another peacefully," he said.

He said that Iraq's return to the Arab and Islamic nation "through Egypt's gate" was for the best of Iraq and for that of both the Arab and Muslim nations, as this would help restore the balance between the Arab and foreign presence in the country and end regional threats to Iraq's national security.

Asked about the continued foreign presence in Iraq and whether Iraq was on the brink of a civil war, he said that the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq depended by large on Iraq's security conditions and the ability of Iraqi security forces to take over responsibilities from the withdrawing troops. He asserted that so far there was no specific timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq.

Civil war

The visiting Iraqi national security adviser downplayed reports that a civil war was looming in Iraq. There are no grounds for the outbreak of a civil war in our country, he said, accusing the followers of al-Qaeda's number one man in Iraq Abu-Mus'ab al- Zarqawi and of toppled Iraqi President Saddam Husayn of attempting to ignite a civil war in the country. "But so far all their attempts have been futile," he said.

The idea of having Arab and Islamic forces replace foreign troops withdrawing from Iraq was not up for discussion.

When asked about Iraq's relations with Iran, he repeated his government's desire not to antagonise any of its neighbouring countries. He also asserted that the Iraqis "categorically reject any Iranian interference in Iraqi affairs".

There is no evidence implicating Iran in supporting or exporting terrorism to Iraq, according to Al-Rubay'i.

Syrian "training"

The Iraqi national security adviser said those who infiltrated into Iraq via the Iraqi-Syrian borders were not only Syrians, but from various Arab nationalities.

"We have no doubt that nine out of every ten of the suicide bombers are Arabs," Al-Rubay'i said.

He added that some of the infiltrators received their training inside Syria while others were offered IDs and logistic support.

Reconciliation

As for an Iraqi reconciliation conference called for by the Arab League, the Iraqi official said that his country hailed such a conference which Baghdad considered a positive initiative welcomed by all Iraqi sects.

He pointed out that all Iraqi parties voiced preparedness to participate in the conference which he described as a positive step towards entrenching Iraqi national unity.

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East

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