BAGHDAD: The head of the Arab League said yesterday that Iraqis must succeed in their push for national reconciliation to achieve stability after years of brutal sectarian warfare.
Amr Moussa, the secretary-general of the 22-nation organization, also said the withdrawal of US forces will be a key factor in reaching that goal. “Iraq’s stability can only be achieved through two key things,” Moussa said after meeting Iraq’s senior Shiite scholar Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani in Najaf. “These are to stop all sectarianism polarization ... and the withdrawal of the US forces. These two things are linked.”
In a thinly veiled reference to Iran, Moussa blamed interference from neighboring countries for fueling the violence. But he said differences between Arab countries and Iran should be resolved based on “mutual interests and respect.”
Moussa arrived Monday for his first trip to Iraq since October 2005. His visit and push for reconciliation comes as many of his member nations are seeking to prevent Iran from gaining dominant influence in Iraq with the impending withdrawal of American forces by the end of 2011.
Violence has declined sharply in Iraq following a 2007 US troop buildup, a Sunni revolt against Al-Qaeda in Iraq and a militia cease-fire called by Shiite scholar Muqtada Al-Sadr.
Last year, Al-Sadr ordered most of his Mahdi Army militiamen to lay down their arms to form a new social welfare network, although he retained a small fighting force.
He praised his new social organization known as the “Momahidoun,” or “those who pave the way,” and renewed his call for members to denounce violence in a statement issued on Wednesday by his office in Najaf.
“We praise and highly appreciate the work of those who are leading or participating in the big and effective Momahidoun project,” Al-Sadr said. “We hope they will continue to denounce violence and to raise science and culture as a weapon.” Al-Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran, is trying to position himself as a political force ahead of national elections.
