.Iraq PM urges neighbours to work 'seriously' to end bloodshed
BAGHDAD (AFP) — Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki at a high-profile conference in Baghdad on Sunday urged Iraq's neighbours to step up efforts to end the bloodshed that has plagued his war-ravaged country.
Warning that the neighbours could be targets of the terrorism experienced by Iraq, Maliki said the "neighbours must work seriously towards the objectives they have gathered for" in Baghdad.
On Sunday, Iraq's neighbours, the G8 and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council gathered for the Baghdad Conference that aims to thrash out strategies to end the country's bloodletting.
It also aims to find ways to solve Iraq's energy and refugee crisis triggered by the volatile security situation in the country.
The conference, the second of its kind since a groundbreaking meeting in the Iraqi capital six months ago, comes as Washington keenly awaits a report by its top officials in Baghdad on progress in the country.
Maliki vowed to bring the situation in Iraq to "normal."
"Baghdad is determined to bring the situation to normal and Iraq can be a ground for friends and rivals (US and Iran)," the prime minister told the gathering.
Washington has repeatedly accused Iraq's former foe Iran and its western neighbour Syria of fomenting violence in the country.
The US military accuses Tehran-linked groups of funding, arming and training extremists to fight US troops in Iraq, while it blames Syria for failing to crack down on foreign fighters entering the country from across its border.
Tehran and Damascus have repeatedly denied the charges.
"We want to control the borders to prevent infiltration of terrorists to and from Iraq," said Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari during his address to the delegates.
Zebari also highlighted that Baghdad had been successful in achieving "dialogue under the national reconciliation" programme of Maliki launched last year.
Before the start of the conference Zebari said the meeting was crucial to maintain peace in the region.
"The meeting is very important to us," the foreign minister told AFP. "Everyone is talking about reconciliation but Iraq also needs to reconcile with its neighbours."
Twenty-two delegations were participating, including one led by Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Reza Baqeri, while UN Special Representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, and the Arab League were also taking part.
Iranian ambassador Hassan Kazemi however said there was no "meeting with US officials scheduled on the sidelines of the conference," adding such a meeting could be possible in the future.
The focus of the conference is expected to be on commitments made at the first conference and at a similar meeting held in Egypt in May.
In Baghdad, delegates are expected to break into three working groups dealing with security, the plight of four million Iraqis displaced internally or who have fled to Jordan and Syria, and Iraq's energy crisis.
The committees established at the first Baghdad Conference have each held one meeting -- energy in Turkey in mid-June, displaced Iraqis in Jordan early August, and security in Syria on August 8 and 9.
At the March 10 gathering, delegates gave a bland pledge to "fight terrorism and enhance security" but the meeting was overshadowed by squabbles, with the US delegation accusing Iran of arms smuggling and Tehran demanding a US military withdrawal.
Similar rows broke out again when foreign ministers and top diplomats from more than 50 countries gathered in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to launch an International Compact with Iraq (ICI) on May 3 and 4.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki at the time launched a tirade against Washington, describing US troops in Iraq as "terrorists".
His outburst dashed expectations of a meeting between himself and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and in the end the only contact between the two foes was a brief meeting between US Ambassador Ryan Crocker and a deputy foreign minister of Iran.
Since then, Maliki has visited both Syria and Iran -- angering Washington in the process -- to improve bilateral ties on the one hand, and to urge them to do more to stop the flow of fighters crossing the borders on the other.
AFP
Warning that the neighbours could be targets of the terrorism experienced by Iraq, Maliki said the "neighbours must work seriously towards the objectives they have gathered for" in Baghdad.
On Sunday, Iraq's neighbours, the G8 and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council gathered for the Baghdad Conference that aims to thrash out strategies to end the country's bloodletting.
It also aims to find ways to solve Iraq's energy and refugee crisis triggered by the volatile security situation in the country.
The conference, the second of its kind since a groundbreaking meeting in the Iraqi capital six months ago, comes as Washington keenly awaits a report by its top officials in Baghdad on progress in the country.
Maliki vowed to bring the situation in Iraq to "normal."
"Baghdad is determined to bring the situation to normal and Iraq can be a ground for friends and rivals (US and Iran)," the prime minister told the gathering.
Washington has repeatedly accused Iraq's former foe Iran and its western neighbour Syria of fomenting violence in the country.
The US military accuses Tehran-linked groups of funding, arming and training extremists to fight US troops in Iraq, while it blames Syria for failing to crack down on foreign fighters entering the country from across its border.
Tehran and Damascus have repeatedly denied the charges.
"We want to control the borders to prevent infiltration of terrorists to and from Iraq," said Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari during his address to the delegates.
Zebari also highlighted that Baghdad had been successful in achieving "dialogue under the national reconciliation" programme of Maliki launched last year.
Before the start of the conference Zebari said the meeting was crucial to maintain peace in the region.
"The meeting is very important to us," the foreign minister told AFP. "Everyone is talking about reconciliation but Iraq also needs to reconcile with its neighbours."
Twenty-two delegations were participating, including one led by Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Reza Baqeri, while UN Special Representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, and the Arab League were also taking part.
Iranian ambassador Hassan Kazemi however said there was no "meeting with US officials scheduled on the sidelines of the conference," adding such a meeting could be possible in the future.
The focus of the conference is expected to be on commitments made at the first conference and at a similar meeting held in Egypt in May.
In Baghdad, delegates are expected to break into three working groups dealing with security, the plight of four million Iraqis displaced internally or who have fled to Jordan and Syria, and Iraq's energy crisis.
The committees established at the first Baghdad Conference have each held one meeting -- energy in Turkey in mid-June, displaced Iraqis in Jordan early August, and security in Syria on August 8 and 9.
At the March 10 gathering, delegates gave a bland pledge to "fight terrorism and enhance security" but the meeting was overshadowed by squabbles, with the US delegation accusing Iran of arms smuggling and Tehran demanding a US military withdrawal.
Similar rows broke out again when foreign ministers and top diplomats from more than 50 countries gathered in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to launch an International Compact with Iraq (ICI) on May 3 and 4.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki at the time launched a tirade against Washington, describing US troops in Iraq as "terrorists".
His outburst dashed expectations of a meeting between himself and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and in the end the only contact between the two foes was a brief meeting between US Ambassador Ryan Crocker and a deputy foreign minister of Iran.
Since then, Maliki has visited both Syria and Iran -- angering Washington in the process -- to improve bilateral ties on the one hand, and to urge them to do more to stop the flow of fighters crossing the borders on the other.
AFP
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