Ex-Iraqi Minister Al-Samarra’I Reports Talks With “Resistance”

Text of interview with Ayham al-Samarra’i, former Iraqi minister of electricity and secretary general of the Iraqi Reconstruction and Development Council, by Iyad al-Dulaymi; in Baghdad, carried by Quds Press web news agency

Baghdad, 14 Aug (Quds Press) – Ayham al-Samarra’i, former Iraqi minister of electricity and secretary general of the Iraqi Reconstruction and Development Council, which includes Iraqi resistance factions, has said that meetings with the resistance factions are continuing and the factions involved in armed operations are innocent of the terrorist acts targeting civilians.

Speaking to Quds Press, Al-Samarra’i said the gunmen’s conditions to surrender their weapons are easy and not impossible, indicating that their demands are represented by the call for releasing detainees, scheduling the US forces’ withdrawal from Iraq, freeing female detainees, and some other conditions.

He stressed that during the negotiations no demands were made about former Iraqi President Saddam Husayn as some sources said. He added that the Iraqi resistance factions with which he met had nothing at all to do with the armed operations targeting civilians, noting that they consider these operations a plot concocted outside Iraq. The following is the text of the dialogue Iyad al-Dulaymi, Quds Press senior correspondent in Iraq, held with Ayham al- Samarra’i, former Iraqi minister of electricity and secretary general of the Iraqi Reconstruction and Development Council.

[Al-Dulaymi] Have any armed groups expressed their willingness to engage in dialogue? If yes, which groups are these and what are their conditions?

[Al-Samarra'i] Yes, there are some armed groups which expressed their willingness to embark on dialogue in order to put an end to what is taking place in Iraq in the form of bloodshed, which is often committed by a foreign hand as these factions say. These groups include the Islamic Army, the Army of Mujahidin, and the Army of Muhammad. These factions want to hold dialogue. They do not object to talks but the problem lies in the way they can achieve their aims. These factions do not at all want to lay down their arms unless they achieve their aims. They also denounce the killing of innocent Iraqis and consider the killing of an innocent Sunni, Shi’i, or Kurdish Iraqi a gross crime. They say these acts are not committed by them but by foreign parties. The members of these factions are ready for dialogue because they are patriots who believe that the homeland is occupied and is being looted and destroyed. Therefore, they have national aims. They want a democratic state and a constitution. They absolutely reject the return of dictatorship. They are ready for dialogue but I am not exactly the one who represent them.

[Al-Dulaymi] Why are you specifically the one who sponsors these negotiations? Do you have a close relationship with the leaders of these factions?

[Al-Samarra'i] I do not have any relationship with them. As a former minister of electricity, I always said I would play the role of a fireman. Whenever we built a new power station it was hit the next day. Therefore, I thought of putting an end to this exacerbating Iraqi problem. We agreed with the US side to hold meetings with the national resistance. These meetings began and some of them were held in my house. Afterward, I tried to develop the issue politically. We suggested the formation of a wing or a grouping from the resistance factions with which we negotiated, particularly after learning that they had nothing to do with the strikes at the oil and power installations. By these attempts we seek to establish security in Iraq.

[Al-Dulaymi] Were the meetings held with the resistance factions attended by the Americans present in Iraq or Americans who came from Washington for this purpose?

[Al-Samarra'i] They were from the Americans present in Baghdad. I attended the meetings with them and they represented the US Government.

[Al-Dulaymi] What were the results of the meetings and what was their number?

[Al-Samarra'i] Their number was very big and they were held over a long period of time. The meetings might have been held over a period of four months. They were sometimes disrupted but later continued as dictated by the political situation or the reactions of the other side. I decided to continue meetings with them after having better known them. They are all honest people and they want to solve the Iraqi problem. When you meet with them, you will feel that they are nationalists but there must be some sort of sacrifice and understanding. They include quite a good number of Iraqi army officers with strong national feelings.

[Al-Dulaymi] Do you think the Islamic Army, the Army of the Mujahidin, and the Army of Muhammad are the most influential armed factions in the battlefield in Iraq?

[Al-Samarra'i] Even the Ansar al-Sunnah Army is large and influential on the ground. Also, (Abu-Mus’ab) al-Zarqawi and his group are influential. A large number of operations are attributed to his group. I believe that these factions have their weight on the ground in Iraq.

[Al-Dulaymi] What is these factions’ attitude towards the Al- Qa’idah of Jihad Organization [Tanzim Qa'idat al-Jihad fi Bilad al- Rafidayn], led by Al-Zarqawi?

[Al-Samarra'i] I prefer not to discuss this issue now. They conveyed their opinion to the Americans and the concerned parties. I think they want to solve the problem of this country. I repeat that they are nationalist elements. I am sure that they do not do anything that leads to the death of the Iraqis. They target the occupation forces.

[Al-Dulaymi] Some say the Sunni resistance is behind the armed operations carried out by the resistance factions in Iraq. Is this true in view of the fact that you have met with these factions?

[Al-Samarra'i] This is unfair to the Iraqis. They are Iraqi Arabs before anything else. During my meeting with them, I discovered that they represent all segments of the society. Even the news conference held in my house, during which we announced the establishment of our grouping, was attended by Shi’is and Kurds. They did not represent only one Iraqi side or spectrum.

[Al-Dulaymi] Do these gunmen claim responsibility for the operations taking place in Iraq – operations which claim the lives of tens of Iraqis?

[Al-Samarra'i] During the various meetings held with them, they did not claim any armed operation in which a single innocent Iraqi was killed. They believe that killing civilians is a crime. They also believe that destroying the husayniyat [Shi'i centres serving as places of prayer, celebration, and community meetings] is a foreign plot. They have never claimed these operations. They say they mount attacks to defend their villages and cities against those who attack them, in addition to targeting the US forces. They consider it a religious and national duty to fight these forces.

[Al-Dulaymi] You said these groups have certain conditions, which were presented during the meetings. What are their conditions?

[Al-Samarra'i] They have conditions, which I do not think are impossible. They call for the release of all prisoners and detainees in the US and Iraqi prisons who were not convicted of criminal charges. They also call for the release of female prisoners and mosque imams and preachers. They say the number of imprisoned imams and preachers is about 500. They also call for scheduling the departure of the occupation forces from Iraq and for the return of the former Iraqi army and security personnel. They call for dissolving the Elections Commission because they believe it is not neutral. I think these conditions are possible rather than impossible to meet.

[Al-Dulaymi] Is it true that these factions have raised the issue of releasing former Iraqi President Saddam Husayn, reinstating him, or commuting his sentence as one of their conditions?

[Al-Samarra'i] No, this is not true. They have not set such conditions. They believe that the past stage is over. Even the Army of Muhammad, which is believed to be the Ba’th Party’s striking force, has reconsidered its political ideology, structure, and future concepts because it believes it has huge bases in Iraq. In case it follows the same old policy, it will lose these bases. It is today trying to be more democratic. It presented itself as one of those who believe in transformation and peaceful rotation of power. There were no demands related to the former president or any of the pillars of his regime.

[Al-Dulaymi] Why did the negotiations then stop? Is anyone obstructing them?

[Al-Samarra'i] I do not think the negotiations have stopped. Field negotiations are continuing on a daily basis. There are also negotiations on a high level. It is possible that these negotiations may stop for one reason or another for a short period of time. They did not stop because they reached a dead end. The two parties try to stay away for some time in order to rearrange their papers. I do not think things have reached a dead end.

[Al-Dulaymi] Did former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi know about these contacts? Did he support you in this regard?

[Al-Samarra'i] Yes, Dr Iyad Allawi was aware of the discussions which took place. I have a clear policy about the way to involve the sidelined forces in the political process. This is what I wanted from the Council we established. Allawi agrees with me on the need to hold such contacts with the armed resistance. We work together in this regard although each of us has his own way of dealing with events.