[big campaign] Re: HUGE STORY

From:andres@progressiveaccountability.org To: igoldenberg@nsnetwork.org CC: bigcampaign@googlegroups.com Date: 2008-07-19 12:40 Subject: [big campaign] Re: HUGE STORY

You can find this interview at: SPIEGEL Online International: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,566852,00.html On Sat, Jul 19, 2008 at 10:03 AM, Andres Moreno < andres@progressiveaccountability.org> wrote: > Here is an excerpt and full text of interview > > EXCERPT: > > *SPIEGEL:* Would you hazard a prediction as to when most of the US troops > will finally leave Iraq? > > *Maliki:* As soon as possible, as far as we're concerned. US presidential > candidate Barack Obama is right when he talks about 16 months. Assuming that > positive developments continue, this is about the same time period that > corresponds to our wishes. > > *SPIEGEL:* Is this an endorsement for the US presidential election in > November? Does Obama, who has no military background, ultimately have a > better understanding of Iraq than war hero John McCain? > > *Maliki:* Those who operate on the premise of short time periods in Iraq > today are being more realistic. Artificially prolonging the tenure of US > troops in Iraq would cause problems. Of course, this is by no means an > election endorsement. Who they choose as their president is the Americans' > business. But it's the business of Iraqis to say what they want. And that's > where the people and the government are in general agreement: The tenure of > the coalition troops in Iraq should be limited. > > > FULLL TEXT OF INTERVIEW: > > *SPIEGEL:* Germany was opposed to the war. The German economics minister > was in Baghdad last week, Daimler AG plans to build trucks in Iraq, and you > will travel to Berlin this week. Has everything been smoothed out between > Germany and Iraq? > > *Maliki:* We want closer relations, and it is my impression that the > Germans -- the government, the people and German companies -- want the same > thing. Our task is to rebuild a country, and the Germans are famous for > effective and efficient work. We have great confidence in them and want to > involve them in the development of our country. > > *SPIEGEL:* And there is truly no resentment against a country that opposed > the war in 2003? > > *Maliki:* We do not judge our partners on the basis of whether or not they > were militarily involved in toppling Saddam. The decisions back then > corresponded to the national will of the countries, and we respect that. > > *SPIEGEL:* What exactly do you expect from the Germans and from German > companies? > > *Maliki:* We want to get to know them, and we want to know what they want > -- and the things they fear when thinking about Iraq. We have to start over > again in many areas, including oil production, the development of the power > grid and all industries. There is much to be done. > > *SPIEGEL:* What do you expect from the Germans, politically and > militarily? The Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) occasionally trains Iraqi > security forces -- but only in neighboring countries. > > *Maliki:* What matters most to us is that we develop resilient political > relationships and work together economically. Our security forces are > steadily improving, partly as a result of German efforts. We will be pleased > to turn to the Germans to equip our police and military; and should there be > new training programs with the German Bundeswehr, we will be happy to accept > their help. However, we would clearly prefer that the training take place in > Iraq in the future. Overall, I believe that we are gradually becoming > self-sufficient. > > *SPIEGEL:* Three weeks ago, your government filed a civil lawsuit in New > York against companies that allegedly paid bribes to officials in the Saddam > regime. The defendants include three German companies: Daimler, Siemens and > B. Braun Melsungen. How is this compatible with your overtures to German > industry? > > *Maliki:* We are in negotiations with Siemens for the construction of > power plants, which shows just how serious we are. Whether the suit you > mention succeeds will be for the courts to decide. Under no circumstances > will the consequence be that we no longer wish to work with the companies in > question. > > *SPIEGEL:* Large parts of Iraq's assets abroad remain frozen -- and > inaccessible to creditors. What will happen to this money when the UN > Security Council mandate for Iraq expires at the end of this year? > > *Maliki:* We have hired several international law firms to deal with these > assets. At the moment, they are protected by UN resolutions, American law > and the personal commitment of President George W. Bush -- and we want this > protection to remain in place after the end of UN mandate on Iraq. We > consider the claims being lodged against this money to be unjustified. Iraq > cannot be punished for crimes that were committed by the dictator. This is > very important to us, and a key aspect of our negotiations over the future > status of US troops in Iraq. > > *SPIEGEL:* Germany, after World War II, was also liberated from a tyrant > by a US-led coalition. That was 63 years ago, and today there are still > American military bases and soldiers in Germany. How do you feel about this > model? > > *Maliki:* Iraq can learn from Germany's experiences, but the situation is > not truly comparable. Back then Germany waged a war that changed the world. > Today, we in Iraq want to establish a timeframe for the withdrawal of > international troops -- and it should be short. At the same time, we would > like to see the establishment of a long-term strategic treaty with the > United States, which would govern the basic aspects of our economic and > cultural relations. However, I wish to re-emphasize that our security > agreement should remain in effect in the short term. > > *SPIEGEL:* How short-term? Are you hoping for a new agreement before the > end of the Bush administration? > > *Maliki:* So far the Americans have had trouble agreeing to a concrete > timetable for withdrawal, because they feel it would appear tantamount to an > admission of defeat. But that isn't the case at all. If we come to an > agreement, it is not evidence of a defeat, but of a victory, of a severe > blow we have inflicted on al-Qaida and the militias. The American lead > negotiators realize this now, and that's why I expect to see an agreement > taking shape even before the end of President Bush's term in office. With > these negotiations, we will start the whole thing over again, on a clearer, > better basis, because the first proposals were unacceptable to us. > > *SPIEGEL:* Immunity for the US troops is apparently the central issue. > > *Maliki:* It is a fundamental problem for us that it should not be > possible, in my country, to prosecute offences or crimes committed by US > soldiers against our population. But other issues are no less important: How > much longer will these soldiers remain in our country? How much authority do > they have? Who controls how many, soldiers enter and leave the country and > where they do so? > > *SPIEGEL:* Would you hazard a prediction as to when most of the US troops > will finally leave Iraq? > > *Maliki:* As soon as possible, as far as we're concerned. US presidential > candidate Barack Obama is right when he talks about 16 months. Assuming that > positive developments continue, this is about the same time period that > corresponds to our wishes. > > *SPIEGEL:* Is this an endorsement for the US presidential election in > November? Does Obama, who has no military background, ultimately have a > better understanding of Iraq than war hero John McCain? > > *Maliki:* Those who operate on the premise of short time periods in Iraq > today are being more realistic. Artificially prolonging the tenure of US > troops in Iraq would cause problems. Of course, this is by no means an > election endorsement. Who they choose as their president is the Americans' > business. But it's the business of Iraqis to say what they want. And that's > where the people and the government are in general agreement: The tenure of > the coalition troops in Iraq should be limited. > > *SPIEGEL:* In your opinion, which factor has contributed most to bringing > calm to the situation in the country? > > *Maliki:* There are many factors, but I see them in the following order. > First, there is the political rapprochement we have managed to achieve in > central Iraq. This has enabled us, above all, to pull the plug on al-Qaida. > Second, there is the progress being made by our security forces. Third, > there is the deep sense of abhorrence with which the population has reacted > to the atrocities of al-Qaida and the militias. Finally, of course, there is > the economic recovery. > > *SPIEGEL:* Critics have accused you of striking harshly against the Mahdi > army of Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, while going easy on his rival > Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim's Badr militia. > > *Maliki:* That's not true. We proceed just as firmly against anyone who > breaks the law. Just a few days ago, we had an incident with a group > associated with the Badr people. The army moved in immediately and arrested > them all. No one was spared. The punishment is based purely on the nature of > the crime, not on the identity of the criminal. > > *SPIEGEL:* In southern Iraq, where you come from, you have been compared > with Saddam Hussein when it comes to harshness. > > *Maliki:* That's the sort of thing that people say who don't understand > how urgently Iraq needs stability -- or these people prefer instability. We > don't want to spread fear and terror in Iraq. We have, for example, given > the militias several deadlines to hand over their weapons. Their resistance > was tremendous, so we had to oppose them with tremendous force of our own. > > *SPIEGEL:* What role do you envision for your chief rival, Muqtada > al-Sadr? Can there ever be national reconciliation in Iraq without his > participation? > > *Maliki:* You can only reconcile with someone who wants to reconcile. His > Excellency Muqtada al-Sadr can be a political partner, especially if, to > that end, he draws on the great spiritual legacy he has inherited from his > ancestors. He has understood that his following was eventually infiltrated > by criminal elements, by men from the former regime, al-Qaida people and > others. The fact that he is now in the process of systematically separating > himself from these elements makes him even stronger as a political partner. > As a politician, I might add, not as a militia leader. > > *SPIEGEL:* You spent part of your exile in Iran, and you have visited the > country several times since you took office. Can you explain to us what the > leaders in Tehran are up to? Are they building a nuclear bomb? Do you see > this as a serious threat? > > *Maliki:* I have not been made privy to the details of the Iranian nuclear > program. Iranian representatives assure us, however, that this program > serves peaceful purposes. Even if Tehran wanted to develop a nuclear weapon, > it would take a very long time, simply from a technical standpoint. It is > obvious that our region is far too fragile for even a single country to > possess nuclear weapons, because it will always be an incentive for other > countries to also build their own. > *SPIEGEL:* Exactly 50 years ago, the monarchy in Iraq was overthrown and a > republic established. But we didn't see any celebration of this event at > all. What does that day mean for the history of Iraq? > > *Maliki:* There may have been people who celebrated. But certainly not all > Iraqis. On July 14, 1958, and era came to an end, but what came afterwards > didn't live up to our expectations and hopes. What came were decades of > military putsches and the dictatorship. We are still dealing with the > aftermath today. > > *SPIEGEL:* Mr. Prime Minister, your job is probably one of the most > dangerous a politician can have. How do you cope with this, and what do you > do to make it bearable? > > *Maliki:* I lead a very simple life -- one that is shaped by external > forces, which is apparently what fate has determined for us Iraqis. In that > regard, the past few decades of dictatorship have not changed all that much. > What keeps me going? The constant exertion of my job -- and the successes we > are now having. It means a lot to me to see how much closer we are today to > a democratic Iraq, one that respects human rights, than we were only a few > months ago. > > *SPIEGEL:* Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for taking the time to speak with > us. > > *Interview conducted by Mathias Müller von Blumencron and Bernard Zand in > Baghdad* > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > -- Andres Moreno Deputy Director - Tracking/Media Monitoring ProgressiveAccountability.org (PAO) 202-609-7688 (office) 703-501-6661 (cell) andres@progressiveaccountability.org --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the "big campaign" group. To post to this group, send to bigcampaign@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe, send email to bigcampaign-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com E-mail ryan@campaigntodefendamerica.org with questions or concerns This is a list of individuals. It is not affiliated with any group or organization. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---