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Crisis In Iraqi-Syrian Relations; Iraq Refers to 'Gifts of Death' from Syria
A crisis dominates relations between Iraq and Syria, in the wake of Iraq's recall of its ambassador from Damascus, which reciprocated by recalling its ambassador from Baghdad.
The crisis erupted following a demand by Iraq that Syria hand over two of the leaders of the Iraqi Ba'th Party – Muhammad Yunis Al-Ahmad and Sattam Farhan – who are accused of planning and carrying out the bombings of key ministries in Baghdad on August 19.
Iraqi government spokesman 'Ali Al-Dabbagh said that the Iraqi government has asked Syria to hand over "all those who are legally sought" by Iraqi authorities who have committed crimes against the Iraqi people. He said that the Iraqi council of ministers has decided to recall the Iraqi ambassador to Damascus "for consultation."
Additionally, the council of ministers instructed the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to call on the UN Security Council to establish an international criminal court to try the war criminals who had planned and carried out war crimes and crimes against humanity as related to the rights of Iraqi civilians.
An official Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that Syria "has decided to recall its ambassador to Baghdad for consultation in response to Iraq recalling its ambassador to Damascus." The spokesman added that the Syrian government "totally rejects" Al-Dabbagh's statements regarding the explosions in Baghdad.
It is to be recalled that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki visited Damascus earlier this month – a visit which culminated in a statement to create a joint strategic council at the level of prime ministers, to meet twice yearly to discuss the mutual collaboration between the two countries in the political, diplomatic, economic, military, energy, financial and educational domains.
After restoring their diplomatic relations, that were severed following Syrian support for the anti-Iraqi coalition that expelled the Iraqi army from Kuwait in 1991, Syria sent its ambassador, Nawaf Al-Fares, to Baghdad in October 2008; the Iraqi ambassador 'Alaa Hussein Al-Jawadi submitted his letter of credentials to the Syrian president on February 16 of this year.
Prior to the recall of the Iraqi ambassador to Damascus, the editor of the Iraqi daily Al-Bayan, Yassinn Majid, who also acts as public relations adviser to the Iraqi prime minister, wrote an article on "The Gifts of Brothers." In it, Yassin lamented that, regrettably, Syria has become the rear base for the destruction of Iraq, "whether with or without the full knowledge of the Syrian officials" – although, he emphasized, it was unlikely that Syrian intelligence was not aware of the plans by members of the Iraqi Ba'th Party who reside in Syria [including, perhaps, the most senior survivor of the Saddam Hussein regime, former vice president Izzet al-Douri.]
In his article, Yassin also wrote that "the brothers in Damascus" deny "the gift of death" that enters Iraq across their border, even as they "swear" that they do not know what the Iraqi Ba'thists in Damascus are planning and that Iraqi Ba'th Party leader Muhammad Yunis Al-Ahmad is not involved in any activity harmful to the Iraqis.
Ironically, when asked about Yunis Al-Ahmad during his April 22, 2009 visit to Baghdad on, Syrian Prime Minister Naji Al-Otri answered that he did not know him and had never heard his name.
Sources: Al-Zaman, Al-Mada (Iraq); Al-Thawra (Syria); Akhbar al-Khaleej (Bahrain), August 26, 2009
Posted at: 2009-08-26
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