Iraq draws a bead on 'enemy' Iran

[Barrett808]

Iraq draws a bead on 'enemy' Iran
By Valentinas Mite

The recent declaration by Iraqi Defense Minister Hazim Shalan al-Khuzai that Iran is the "first enemy" focuses renewed attention on Baghdad's relations with Tehran. In an interview this week with the Washington Post, Khuzai also accused Iran of taking over some Iraqi border posts and sending spies and saboteurs to destabilize the country.

Iran denies the claims, saying Tehran - "despite the wounds and damages inflicted by the former Iraqi regime" - is doing everything it can to help the Iraqi nation.

At the same time, after years of hostility and recent tension over foreign fighters sneaking into Iraq, interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has ended a visit to Syria with a declaration that diplomatic relations between the two countries will be restored soon.

Yahia Said is a research officer who specializes in Iraq and other nations in transition for the London School of Economics and Political Science. He told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that Khuzai's statement was both unprofessional and undiplomatic. "The statements of the minister of defense were, to put it mildly, unprofessional," Said said. "He named Iran as Iraq's enemy No 1, essentially declaring war in diplomatic language. And regardless of what motivated him to say that, it was an unprofessional statement which was rightly rejected or not supported by the prime minister ."

In response to Khuzai's comments, Allawi said Iraq "does not have enemies in that sense".

(more)

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FG30Ak01.html

[geek tragedy]

1. What is this--I Love the 80's, Mideast style? eom

[BlueEyedSon]

2. US puppet Iraq (to whom arms sales has resumed) conducts proxy war

with Iran? Oh great!

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

5. With what/whose soldiers? Oh, er, never mind. n/t

[denverbill]

3. Hmm. Perhaps war with Iran will be 'forced on us'.

If our new best friend and ally Iraq has to attack Iran because of all these Iranian 'provocations', then the US would just have no choice except to assist our ally.

[Minstrel Boy]

4. everything old is new again

[DemoTex]

6. Ecclesiastes 1:9-14 NIV

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun...

[Minstrel Boy]

7. The first time's a tragedy, the second time's farce.

So here we are, in the Farcical Age. Though it seems no less tragic.

[central scrutinizer]

11. Oceania has ALWAYS been at war with Eastasia

He who controls the past controls the present

[HysteryDiagnosis]

8. Iraq draws a bead on 'enemy' Iran

Oh yes.... deja vu... won't the neocons be partying. More on the treasons for going to war.... now we need to make a few more.

http://www.counterpunch.org/vips07142003.html
>>It is now dawning on our until-now somnolent press that your national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, shepherds the foreign affairs sections of your state-of-the-union address and that she, not Tenet, is responsible for the forged information getting into the speech.<<

http://www.counterpunch.org/vips01152004.html
>>We write this, our fifth such memorandum to you since our critique of Secretary of State Colin Powell's UN speech last February, out of concern that the same advisers who served you so poorly in drafting the Iraq section of last year's state-of-the-union address will embarrass you again. Your credibility and that of the intelligence community suffered a major blow from the hyperbole that characterized that speech--not to mention the infamous 16 words based on the forgery alleging that Iraq was seeking uranium in Africa.<<

[tlcandie]

9. So, is this how this puppet regime got into power in Iraq?

Promising this evil, corrupt US regime that they would be on the front lines for going after Iran?

[Az_lefty]

10. Let me get this straight...

we liberate Iraq so they can start a new war with Iran??????????
:wtf: :bounce:

[Disturbed]

12. It cannot be allowed.

If the Neo Fascists move on this they must be overthrown. I believe that the US Military will revolt on this issue.

I am expecting a Gestapo visit real soon.

[agincourt]

13. Watch this iraqi gov't

They may want to sucker us into a war with Iran, to get indirect revenge for the bombing. Likewise a weakened Iran and US would leave them in a stronger position in the Mideast. Revenge and real-politique.