Kerry presses Iraq to halt Iranian flights to Syria during unannounced visit

BAGHDAD – U.S.
Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday urged Iraq's leaders on an
unannounced visit to Baghdad to halt Iranian overflights of weapons and
fighters heading to Syria and to overcome sectarian differences that
still threaten Iraqi stability 10 years after the American-led invasion
that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.


In meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other
senior officials Kerry was telling them to stop Iranian aircraft from
using Iraqi airspace to fly military personnel and equipment to support
the Syrian government as it battles rebels. Iran and Iraq both say the
flights are laden with humanitarian supplies, but the U.S. and others
believe they are filled with weapons and fighters to help the Assad
regime.


In the absence of a complete ban on flights, the U.S. would at least
like the planes to land and be inspected in Iraq to ensure that they
are carrying humanitarian supplies. Former Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton secured a pledge from Iraq to inspect the flights last
year, but since then only two aircraft have been checked by Iraqi
authorities, according to U.S. officials.


The overflights have long been a source of contention between the
U.S. and Iraq and Kerry will tell the Iraqis that allowing them to
continue will make the situation in Syria worse and ultimately threaten
Iraq's stability.


One senior U.S. official said the sheer number of overflights, which
occur "close to daily," along with shipments trucked to Syria from Iran
through Iraq, was inconsistent with claims they are only carrying
humanitarian supplies. The official said it was in Iraq's interest to
prevent the situation in Syria from deteriorating further, particularly
as there are fears that al-Qaida-linked extremists may gain a foothold
in the country as the Assad regime falters.


The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was
not authorized to publicly preview Kerry's meetings, said there are
clear links between al-Qaida linked extremists operating in Syria and
militants who are also carrying out terrorist attacks in Iraqi
territory with increasing regularity.


A group of fighters in Syria known as Jabhat al-Nusra, a powerful
offshoot of al-Qaida in Iraq that the U.S. has designated a terrorist
organization, has claimed responsibility for most of the deadliest
suicide bombings against regime and military facilities and, as a
result, has gained popularity among some rebels.


Kerry will tell al-Maliki, a Shiite with close ties to Iran, that
Iraq cannot be part of the political discussion about Syria's future
until it clamps down on the Iranian shipments, the senior official
said.


As Iraq approaches provincial elections next month, Kerry will also
stress the importance of ensuring that all elements of society feel
enfranchised, the official said. A recent decision to delay the polls
in Anbar and Nineveh provinces is a "serious setback" to Iraq's
democratic institutions and should be revisited, the official said.


In addition to al-Maliki, Kerry saw Iraqi parliament speaker
parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni, whose faction is at odds
with Maliki's Shiia. Kerry also plans to speak by phone with Massoud
Barzani, the head of the Kurdish Regional Government based in Irbil to
encourage the Kurds not go ahead with unilateral actions - especially
involving oil, like a pipeline deal with Turkey.


He will stress the "importance of maintaining the unity of Iraq,"
say that "separate efforts undercut the unity of the country" and that
"the Kurdish republic cannot survive financially without the support of
Baghdad," the official said.


Kerry's arrival came just three days after the anniversary of the
U.S.-led war that began on March 20, 2003, with an airstrike on Dora
Farms in southern Baghdad in a failed attempt to kill Hussein.


The invasion and toppling of Hussein sparked years of bloodshed as
Sunni and Shiite militants battled U.S. forces and each other, leaving
nearly 4,500 U.S. soldiers and more than 100,000 Iraqis dead.


Violence has ebbed sharply since the peak of Sunni-Shiite fighting
that pushed the country to the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007. But
insurgents are still able to stage high-profile attacks, and sectarian
and ethnic rivalries remain threats to the country's long-term
stability.


Earlier this week, an al-Qaida in Iraq front group claimed
responsibility nearly 20 attacks that killed 65 people across the
country on Tuesday and Wednesday.


The Islamic State of Iraq said it unleashed the car bombs and other
explosions to avenge the executions and "massacres" of convicted Sunni
inmates held in Iraqi prisons. Its claim came on the 10th anniversary
of the start of the war, although it made no reference to the
significance of the date.


Kerry arrived in Baghdad from Amman, where he had been accompanying
President Barack Obama on his tour of Israel, the Palestinian Authority
and Jordan. His visit to Iraq is the first by a U.S. secretary of state
since Clinton went in April 2009. During Obama's first term, the Iraq
portfolio was largely delegated to Vice President Joe Biden.


Since Clinton's trip, the American diplomatic presence in Iraq has
shrunk dramatically, most significantly since U.S. ended military
operations in late 2011, according to officials. A year ago, there were
16,000 State Department employees and contractors in the country. As of
Kerry's visit, that number had declined to 10,500 and it will drop to
5,100 by the end of 2013, officials said.
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This might be a warning Iraq would want to heed.

csd9013 wrote:This might be a warning Iraq would want to heed.

I agree and think Kerry is the man to make sure it is upheld, for the best interest of Iraq.

Sunday, March 24, 2013 18:42 Kerry: Americans who follow transit of arms from Iran to Syria through Iraqi airspace


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BAGHDAD / Baghdadiya News / .. confirmed U.S. Secretary of State John
Kerry, on Sunday that administration officials are following closely
crossings aviation Iranian airspace Iraqi to help the Syrian regime to
stay, noting that those wondering "how we are allies in Iraq and allow
to happen ".


Kerry said at a news conference building the U.S. embassy in Baghdad,
and attended / Baghdadiya News / "The aviation Iranian still passes
through Iraqi airspace and help the regime of President Bashar al-Assad
to stay," noting that "officials of the U.S. government and Congress
followed closely what he does Iraq in this area. "
"We've made it clear to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that Hola
officials wondering how we have a partner in democracy tries to help the
Assad regime and how does this country something makes it difficult to
achieve common goals, with respect to Syria," and expressed his hope
that "could both Iraq and the U.S. of achieve progress in this matter. "

Kerry continued, "I have called Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to
assist in the process of the departure of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad from office."
The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Baghdad on a surprise visit a previously unannounced.
A U.S. official said that Kerry would urge Maliki to prevent the flight
of aircraft carrying Iranian weapons and fighters to the Syrian
government over Iraqi territory.

The official said the U.S. that Kerry will propose to re-Maliki and the
Iraqi government the decision to postpone local elections in Anbar and
Nineveh. Met Kerry with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and parliament
speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, and Informed sources said the foreign minister
urged Iraqi leaders to cooperate more in order to isolate besieged
Syrian regime. Finished / 21


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i think maliki will tell him to go take a hike !! as he did the other secetary!

duck2000 wrote:i think maliki will tell him to go take a hike !! as he did the other secetary!

We will see and if he does, I personally think that that is a BAD decision but then again, the USA wants a seat at the TABLE, lol... ;)

Thanks gang for the posts.