Jul 11, 2013

Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Hoshyar Zebari held talks with the NATO council of ambassadors and the ambassador members of the EU Political and Security Committee in Brussels to discuss the war in Syria, the changes in Egypt, the role of Iran and the dangers surrounding Iraq. Zebari noted “the interest of both sides in the Iraqi stance.”

He told Al-Hayat that his country “is committed to a neutral stance regarding the Syrian crisis. It is not taking sides with anyone — be it Iran, the [Syrian] regime, Hezbollah, the US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar or Turkey. A neutral stance might be useful, in fact.”

Zebari said, “The expectations and prospects for the Geneva II conference are not encouraging. Russia and America, who are the sponsors of this conference, saw eye to eye with [Iraq]. Some sides were suggesting the idea of holding it on the sidelines of the meetings of the UN General Assembly in New York.”

Yet Zebari was suspicious of holding the conference in New York because “it will come back empty-handed.” He clarified that the reason behind putting off the conference could be summarized by “the conflicts between the participating parties and the conference’s agenda.” He also noted that it is important for “the representatives of the government and the opposition to focus on the Syrian crisis. As for the other countries, they might participate in the opening session.”

Commenting on the new Syrian National Coalition President Ahmad al-Jarba's statement regarding the need to change the situation on the ground militarily before going to Geneva, Zebari noted, “The military situation is unstable, and it is changing from week to week in several regions. The regime has been shelling Homs and Aleppo and its countryside for 10 days, after having tightened its grip on Qusair. However, it has still not been able to win the battle. If the opposition enhances its military situation, will it be able to continue advancing?”