.Dulaim chieftain calls for stopping Iranian influence in Iraq
The Iraqi Dulaim chieftain called to unify the Arabs' stance in the face of "growing Iranian influence" in Iraq, stressing that the European and U.S. powers must be invested to put an end to this influence.
"The Arabs have to join hands to stop Iran's influence in Iraq. We are here in Cairo upon the invitation of the Egyptian foreign ministry to expound on the destruction, killings, and homelessness in Iraq that is groaning under two U.S. and Iranian occupations," Sheikh Majid Abdul-Razzaq Soliman, the chairman of the Iraq Chieftains & Notables Council, said in an interview with Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) in Cairo on Sunday.
The Baghdad-based council was founded this month under Sheikh Soliman, the head of the Dulaim clans. It has opened an interim headquarters in the Jordanian capital Amman.
The council's constituent board, composed of 39 chieftains and 19 notables, represents the largest clans in Iraq and works on maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity, unity and sovereignty.
"We have warned the Arabs against Iran's flagrant interference in the region and asked them, during a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit, to have a unified position to resist Iran's growing influence," Sheikh Soliman said.
On the outcome of Iraqi delegations' visits to Egypt, he said "Egypt is raising the Arab banner and has the headquarters of the Arab League, which we consider as the house of the Arabs."
"We had warned over and again of the loss of Iraq's Arab identity, God forbid, because if this identity was lost, the Arabs would not rise again and Iran would gulp the Gulf overnight," said Soliman.
"We have touched a great response and profound understanding from our Egyptian brothers regarding the Iraqi issue," he said.
Asked whether he has documents proving Iran's influence in Iraq, Sheikh Soliman said "the matter no longer requires documents. It has become a scandal for all to see. The Iraqi defense minister, Abdul-Qader al-Ubaydi, has shown on the TV screens the recently-made arms and mortars coming from Iran to Basra. In Baghdad and al-Diwaniya, thousands of weapons coming from Iran appear on a daily basis."
On the Iraqi government's recent accusations against Iran of involvement in violence in Iraq and whether there was coordination between the government and the council, Soliman replied that "there is no coordination between us the government. But, when the government felt the fire, it started talking about Iranian interference."
An Iraqi official delegation had talks in Tehran on May 1 to discuss Iraqi concerns on the Iranians' training and armament of gunmen in Iraq.
Asked on the Sahwa (Awakening) tribal fighters, the Sunni Dulaim clans chief said "the Sahwa is not militias. In a nutshell, it is tribal revolt that was sparked when the government and U.S. forces allowed us to fight al-Qaeda network.
The Sahwa councils were set up in a number of Iraqi provinces such as al-Anbar, Diala, Ninewa, and Salah al-Din with the aim of bolstering political and local tribal powers to fight armed groups, particularly al-Qaeda network, in those areas.
These councils are usually led by tribal chiefs or notables in the provinces.
Following the assassination of his father and six of his brothers by al-Qaeda Organization in Iraq in 2004, Sheikh Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha founded the Anbar Sahwa Council and chaired the Iraq Sahwa Congress, an alliance encompassing 42 clans that pledged to fight al-Qaeda members.
The Sahwa fighters managed to flush out armed groups from a number of areas once considered strongholds of gunmen for years.
Abu Risha, however, was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack that targeted his house in al-Ramadi, capital of the predominantly Sunni Anbar. The attack also left his bodyguard and two other escorts killed and his nephew seriously wounded.
On the council's relations with the U.S. forces, Soliman said "there is no coordination with the Americans. We're Iraqis demanding our country's unity. The tribes are the active power on the ground. We will have our rights today or tomorrow."
IraqUpdates
"The Arabs have to join hands to stop Iran's influence in Iraq. We are here in Cairo upon the invitation of the Egyptian foreign ministry to expound on the destruction, killings, and homelessness in Iraq that is groaning under two U.S. and Iranian occupations," Sheikh Majid Abdul-Razzaq Soliman, the chairman of the Iraq Chieftains & Notables Council, said in an interview with Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq – (VOI) in Cairo on Sunday.
The Baghdad-based council was founded this month under Sheikh Soliman, the head of the Dulaim clans. It has opened an interim headquarters in the Jordanian capital Amman.
The council's constituent board, composed of 39 chieftains and 19 notables, represents the largest clans in Iraq and works on maintaining Iraq's territorial integrity, unity and sovereignty.
"We have warned the Arabs against Iran's flagrant interference in the region and asked them, during a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit, to have a unified position to resist Iran's growing influence," Sheikh Soliman said.
On the outcome of Iraqi delegations' visits to Egypt, he said "Egypt is raising the Arab banner and has the headquarters of the Arab League, which we consider as the house of the Arabs."
"We had warned over and again of the loss of Iraq's Arab identity, God forbid, because if this identity was lost, the Arabs would not rise again and Iran would gulp the Gulf overnight," said Soliman.
"We have touched a great response and profound understanding from our Egyptian brothers regarding the Iraqi issue," he said.
Asked whether he has documents proving Iran's influence in Iraq, Sheikh Soliman said "the matter no longer requires documents. It has become a scandal for all to see. The Iraqi defense minister, Abdul-Qader al-Ubaydi, has shown on the TV screens the recently-made arms and mortars coming from Iran to Basra. In Baghdad and al-Diwaniya, thousands of weapons coming from Iran appear on a daily basis."
On the Iraqi government's recent accusations against Iran of involvement in violence in Iraq and whether there was coordination between the government and the council, Soliman replied that "there is no coordination between us the government. But, when the government felt the fire, it started talking about Iranian interference."
An Iraqi official delegation had talks in Tehran on May 1 to discuss Iraqi concerns on the Iranians' training and armament of gunmen in Iraq.
Asked on the Sahwa (Awakening) tribal fighters, the Sunni Dulaim clans chief said "the Sahwa is not militias. In a nutshell, it is tribal revolt that was sparked when the government and U.S. forces allowed us to fight al-Qaeda network.
The Sahwa councils were set up in a number of Iraqi provinces such as al-Anbar, Diala, Ninewa, and Salah al-Din with the aim of bolstering political and local tribal powers to fight armed groups, particularly al-Qaeda network, in those areas.
These councils are usually led by tribal chiefs or notables in the provinces.
Following the assassination of his father and six of his brothers by al-Qaeda Organization in Iraq in 2004, Sheikh Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha founded the Anbar Sahwa Council and chaired the Iraq Sahwa Congress, an alliance encompassing 42 clans that pledged to fight al-Qaeda members.
The Sahwa fighters managed to flush out armed groups from a number of areas once considered strongholds of gunmen for years.
Abu Risha, however, was killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack that targeted his house in al-Ramadi, capital of the predominantly Sunni Anbar. The attack also left his bodyguard and two other escorts killed and his nephew seriously wounded.
On the council's relations with the U.S. forces, Soliman said "there is no coordination with the Americans. We're Iraqis demanding our country's unity. The tribes are the active power on the ground. We will have our rights today or tomorrow."
IraqUpdates
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