|
Baghdad: The UAE can play an effective role in the Iraqi national reconciliation process, said Iraqi government officials as the UAE foreign minister paid a visit to the war-torn country, the first of its kind by a high ranking Gulf Arab official since 2003.
Senior government officials in Baghdad have praised the visit by Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, to Iraq, the first official visit by a Gulf Arab foreign minister, saying the UAE has a special role to play in Iraq's national reconciliation process.
Yassin Majid, the adviser to the Iraqi Prime Minister said to Gulf News that Shaikh Abdullah's visit to Baghdad is considered a great leap forward in their relations with the UAE.
The minister submitted a formal invitation to Al Maliki to visit the United Arab Emirates and both parties agreed to expedite the opening of an embassy and appointing an ambassador in Baghdad.
He added, "The UAE has always been understanding of the Iraqi situation ... and this contributes towards a positive move to support reconciliation among Iraqis."
Shaikh Abdullah commenced his visit to Baghdad by meeting senior Iraqi officials starting with Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki.
The visit was the first by a Gulf Arab foreign minister since the American invasion in 2003. Iraqi observers said that since the UAE has balanced relations with all Iraqi factions it could play a successful and major role to support the national reconciliation process in Iraq.
Lubaid Abbawi, undersecretary at the Iraqi foreign ministry, told Gulf News that Shaikh Abdullah's visit is a significant and historic visit which will strengthen relations between the two countries.
He added that the visit comes at an important period in Iraq's relations with Arab countries.
Arab role
"Shaikh Abdullah's visit is considered an encouraging message to the Arab world and particularly to the Gulf Arab states to head to Baghdad in order to strengthen the Arab presence in Iraq and the Arab role in solving and overcoming the country's problems," said Abbawi
Abbawi described Shaikh Abdullah's visit as a significant step that will break the barrier in the development of relations between Arab countries and Iraq.
On the subject of ongoing national reconciliation among Iraqis, many political forces believe that reconciliation needs an effective Arab role to yield real results on the Iraqi political and security situation.
In this context, Iyad Al Samarrai, deputy of the Sunni Islamic Party and leader of the Accord Front bloc in parliament, told Gulf News that the UAE, through Shaikh Abdullah, is qualified to play an important role in the success of Iraqi reconciliation. Al Samarrai added: "Since the era of the late [UAE president] Shaikh Zayed, and now under Shaikh Khalifa, the UAE has been a pioneer in supporting Iraqis.
"The UAE's position is unforgettable and all Iraqi political parties recognise it ... Since the UAE has good contacts with all Iraqi political parties within or outside the political process, this qualifies it to play a successful role in supporting the Iraqi reconciliation process."
Iraqi analysts believe that the UAE's contacts with officials from the former regime put the country in a special position in the reconciliation process in its ability to convince them to return to Iraq and join the political process.
Flashback: Diplomat abducted in 2006
UAE diplomat Naji Rashid Al Nuaimi was kidnapped in Baghdad on May 16, 2006.
Al Nuaimi was kidnapped by gunmen while leaving the home of the UAE's cultural affairs attache in Baghdad's Mansour district. The gunmen shot Al Nuaimi's armed Sudanese driver Bedawi Ahmad Ebrahim.
An Iraqi group claimed the kidnapping and called on Abu Dhabi to close its mission in the Iraqi capital within 24 hours.
Al Nuaimi was released unharmed on May 31, 2006.
|
