MP: Enemies’ Plots to Disunite Iraqi Nation Futile

A senior Iranian parliamentarian underscored Baghdad’s vital role as a key member of the regional and international community, and said Iraq is vigilant enough to defuse the enemies’ plots which aim to disintegrate Iraq.

The remarks were made by Rapporteur of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Seyed Hossein Naqavi Hosseini on Monday.

Naqavi Hosseini pointed out that Iraq has earned a special position since the fall of former dictator Saddam Hussein due to the country’s security, political and economic stability and its key role in regional and international developments.

He added that the West has launched an attempt to wage sectarian war in Iraq and trigger conflicts among different sects after the establishment of stability in the country.

The Iranian legislator also stated that Western and Arab countries seek to derail the Iraqi government’s upward move.

On Sunday, a senior Iraqi legislator called on the Baghdad government to lodge a complaint with the UN and the Arab League against Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey for stirring and meddling in the recent unrests in Iraq’s al-Anbar province.

“There is certain pieces of information showing that Saudi Arabia and Qatar support the rallies in Iraq and that the rallies are planned and financed by Turkey,” Aliya Nassif said in a statement on Sunday.

“The existing information indicates that huge amounts of money have been spent on provoking such rallies in Iraq in a move to repeat the Syrian experience this time in Iraq,” she said, calling on the Iraqi government to pursue the case with the relevant international bodies.

“In case of proving the authenticity of the information, the Iraqi foreign ministry should comply with its duty and file lawsuits against these governments and sides at the Arab League and the UN to prevent foreign intervention in Iraq’s internal affairs,” Nassif said.

In relevant remarks early this week, another Iraqi legislator also warned that a number of foreign states are funding and supporting the recent protests and unrests in Iraq’s al-Anbar province.

“The goal of the recent protests in Iraq is drowning the country and this plot is orchestrated by the foreign states,” Jamal al-Batikh told FNA on Monday.

He also cautioned that certain opposition lawmakers joined the plot and entered a regional and international game against Iraq.

His remarks came after reports from Iraq said last week that several regional states, including Qatar, have paid $100 to each participant in protest rallies in al-Anbar province in support of Iraqi Finance Minister Rafia al-Issawi, whose bodyguards have been arrested on terrorism charges last month.

Iraq’s al-Nakhil news agency quoted a security official as saying earlier this month that after the arrest of Issawi’s bodyguards, several groups affiliated to the regional states, specially Qatar, paid huge sums to their sympathizers in Anbar, Salaheddin and Nineveh provinces to stage rallies against the Iraqi government.

Ouraq al-Khalij newspaper also informed that Doha is staunchly supporting Issawi for taking the leadership of Sunni protestors in Iraq.

The paper said Qatari officials had contacted a large number of their agents and hirelings in Iraq in recent days to coordinate the protests, adding that even the mottoes chanted against Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki government have been dictated by Doha.
The protesters in al-Anbar province have blocked off the key trade highway since December 23, following the arrest of Issawi’s bodyguards on terrorism charges.

The demonstrators allege that the arrests were made on sectarian grounds and demand the release of the detainees.