'US's Syrian raid sets Iraq on fireBy Sami Moubayed
DAMASCUS - The United States raid on Syria on October 27, which led to the killing of eight civilians, sent shockwaves throughout Iraq, mainly enraging the Sunni community, former Ba'athists and tribal leaders who are pro-Syrian.
It came as such a surprise to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that he was completely dumfounded at commenting. Here was the prime minister of Iraq, an ally of Iran and a former resident of Syria, watching Syria being attacked from his own territory - without his knowledge.
Maliki's relations with Damascus can be described as cordial at worse, warm at best. They have never been excellent, but he categorically opposes any destabilization of Syria, knowing that the spillover into Iraq would be colossal.
Other politicians, like President Jalal Talabani, also were not informed beforehand of the raid, which added insult to injury. Talabani, too, would have said "no" since, unlike Maliki, he commands an excellent relationship with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Shi'ite leader Muqtada al-Sadr was reportedly furious.
Pressure was so high from disgruntled Iraqis that the Maliki government was forced to change its originally silent attitude towards the raid, 24 hours after US planes landed in the Syrian border town of Abu Kamal. Ali Dabbagh, the government spokesman, explained, "The constitution does not allow Iraq to be used as a staging ground to attack neighboring countries." Assistant Foreign Minister Labid Abbawi added, "We are trying to contain the fallout from the incident. It is regrettable and we are sorry it happened."
A prominent Kurdish politician, Mahmud Othman, confirmed that the raid been carried out without informing the central government in Baghdad. He feared, however, that such action would only add to the anti-American sentiment in Iraq and make it harder for Iraqi officials to sign the controversial Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) security agreement with the US government. This has been debated for months by Washington and Baghdad.
Othman, who supports signing a deal with the US, said, "It [the raid] will be used against the agreement and will give the Iranians reason to increase their interference here against the agreement. Now neighboring countries have a good reason to be concerned about the continued US presence in Iraq."
The SOFA, if signed, will replace the United Nations mandate - which expires at the end of the year - under which the US currently operates in Iraq.
Shi'ite response
Each party in Iraq has its own reasons for opposing the raid, and the possibility of further US confrontation with Syria. Iraqi Shi'ites, who were never too fond of the Americans, feel that the US action is aimed at weakening a prime ally of Iran. They fear that this could be an indicator that war with Iran - or at least a similar attack - could be on the immediate horizon before President George W Bush leaves the White House.
Former US ambassador to the United Nations and prominent neo-conservative, John Bolton, only added to their fears when he appeared on the popular Arabic talk show Bi Saraha (Frankly) on the Saudi channel al-Arabiya this week and warned that if sanctions did not work, war was coming with Iran.
The UN has imposed three rounds of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, while the US has imposed some on its own accord.
The Syria raid has electrified Iraq's Shi'ites, who are once again calling on Maliki not to sign the SOFA, claiming it will be used against Iran since it would give the US long-term access to Iraqi territory. This week, the call was repeated by Shi'ite heavyweights Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani (who is originally Persian) and Muqtada.'
It came as such a surprise to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that he was completely dumfounded at commenting. Here was the prime minister of Iraq, an ally of Iran and a former resident of Syria, watching Syria being attacked from his own territory - without his knowledge.
Maliki's relations with Damascus can be described as cordial at worse, warm at best. They have never been excellent, but he categorically opposes any destabilization of Syria, knowing that the spillover into Iraq would be colossal.
Other politicians, like President Jalal Talabani, also were not informed beforehand of the raid, which added insult to injury. Talabani, too, would have said "no" since, unlike Maliki, he commands an excellent relationship with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Shi'ite leader Muqtada al-Sadr was reportedly furious.
Pressure was so high from disgruntled Iraqis that the Maliki government was forced to change its originally silent attitude towards the raid, 24 hours after US planes landed in the Syrian border town of Abu Kamal. Ali Dabbagh, the government spokesman, explained, "The constitution does not allow Iraq to be used as a staging ground to attack neighboring countries." Assistant Foreign Minister Labid Abbawi added, "We are trying to contain the fallout from the incident. It is regrettable and we are sorry it happened."
A prominent Kurdish politician, Mahmud Othman, confirmed that the raid been carried out without informing the central government in Baghdad. He feared, however, that such action would only add to the anti-American sentiment in Iraq and make it harder for Iraqi officials to sign the controversial Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) security agreement with the US government. This has been debated for months by Washington and Baghdad.
Othman, who supports signing a deal with the US, said, "It [the raid] will be used against the agreement and will give the Iranians reason to increase their interference here against the agreement. Now neighboring countries have a good reason to be concerned about the continued US presence in Iraq."
The SOFA, if signed, will replace the United Nations mandate - which expires at the end of the year - under which the US currently operates in Iraq.
Shi'ite response
Each party in Iraq has its own reasons for opposing the raid, and the possibility of further US confrontation with Syria. Iraqi Shi'ites, who were never too fond of the Americans, feel that the US action is aimed at weakening a prime ally of Iran. They fear that this could be an indicator that war with Iran - or at least a similar attack - could be on the immediate horizon before President George W Bush leaves the White House.
Former US ambassador to the United Nations and prominent neo-conservative, John Bolton, only added to their fears when he appeared on the popular Arabic talk show Bi Saraha (Frankly) on the Saudi channel al-Arabiya this week and warned that if sanctions did not work, war was coming with Iran.
The UN has imposed three rounds of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, while the US has imposed some on its own accord.
The Syria raid has electrified Iraq's Shi'ites, who are once again calling on Maliki not to sign the SOFA, claiming it will be used against Iran since it would give the US long-term access to Iraqi territory. This week, the call was repeated by Shi'ite heavyweights Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani (who is originally Persian) and Muqtada.'
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