The two-day meeting of security committees of the countries neighboring Iraq ended Monday in Syria with a final statement. Participants stressed the necessity of controlling borders between the war-battered Arab country and its neighbors. The Damascus communiquŽ will be presented to an upcoming meeting of foreign ministers of the participating states scheduled to meet in Kuwait.
The Damascus gathering was the second of its kind within the framework of continued regional efforts to augment effective cooperation with Baghdad in maintaining peace and security in this troubled part of the world.
Importance of such sessions, among other things, lies in the fact that the Bush’s America as the occupying power in Iraq and now visibly on the decline, has got into the ugly habit of blaming Iraq’s neighbors for the dangerous situation unfolding there due largely to the illegal invasion.
Notwithstanding the fact that the self-appointed superpower is indeed a major part of the problem and a recognized stabilizing factor, the Bush camp is telling all those willing to listen that Iraqi ills are designed outside its borders.
Last week’s testimonies by senior war planner General David Petraeus and Bush’s political envoy in Baghdad Ryan Crocker, along with the statements by the lame-duck president on the fragile Iraq situation indicate the outgoing regime in Washington has no intention to revise its disastrous Iraq policy. Under the conditions, it is understandable that the US will hang on its policy to harm Iraq’s sensitive relations with its immediate neighbors.
Meeting of minds between Iraq and its neighbors and good neighborliness can and should help expose Bush’ true colors and discourage his government from provoking tensions and hurling irresponsible charges against this or that country.
Needless to say, the people of Iraq want their Arab neighbors to help the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki restore peace and stability. Iraq and advocates of regional stability have regularly urged all its Arab neighbors to reopen their embassies in Baghdad and put a permanent end to their passive role in the country impoverished by five years of US aggression and crimes against humanity.
It is opportune that Iraq’s Arab neighbors see reason and embrace reality if they really care for their internal and regional stability and progress. It is an open secret that the Americans are taking undue advantage of the absence of diplomatic relations between Iraq and the littoral Arab regimes.
From the viewpoint of most if not all Iraqi neighbors, the root cause of the escalating crisis in Iraq lies in the US occupation and the unacceptable lawlessness of its trigger-happy troops who are more concerned about not getting killed in the desert than protecting the poor Iraqis and training them in the art of democracy and freedoms, albeit of the western brand.
To impartial observers and the advocates of peace and prosperity in the Middle East, it is foregone decision that things in the region will only get worse if Bush and his successor fail to stop and reverse the five years of arrogance and dangerous misjudgments that has brought the strategic region to where it is today.