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Iraq's Religious Leaders Meet In UK,Urge Formation Of Strong Governm

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  • Iraq's Religious Leaders Meet In UK,Urge Formation Of Strong Governm

    IRAQ'S RELIGIOUS LEADERS MEET IN UK, URGE FORMATION OF STRONG GOVERNMENT, ARMY

    Al-Quds al-Arabi website, London
    30 Mar 06

    Text of report by Samir Nasif in London entitled "Meeting in London
    for Iraqi religious leaders: unity of Iraqis condition for defeating
    occupation. Prince Al-Hasan: Arab and Muslim forces can replace
    international forces" published on London-based newspaper Al-Quds
    al-Arabi website on 30 March; subheadings inserted editorially

    The conference of religious leaders in Iraq, which was held in
    London between 26 and 29 March under the supervision and with the
    participation of Jordan's former Crown Prince Al-Hasan Bin-Talal,
    in addition to a large number of clerics from various communities
    in Iraq, has stressed that what pains the participants is that the
    world has not become safer or more stable in the past three years as
    a result of what happened in Iraq and other parts of the world.

    The participants called for speeding up the formation of a strong
    government and a strong balanced army capable of providing full
    sovereignty for the country and for not confusing between the acts of
    terrorism, murder, sabotage and forced displacement and the legitimate
    resistance under international laws against any occupation. They
    stressed that Iraq belongs to all the Iraqis and that the points of
    agreement are many more than points of disagreement.

    Arab-Muslim peacekeepers, departure of US, UK forces

    In reply to a question about the effectiveness of sending an Arab and
    Muslim peacekeeping force to Iraq to ease the escalating violence which
    might lead to a civil war, or whether the US and British plan includes
    the deployment of NATO forces in Iraq as it does now in Afghanistan,
    and whether the United States and Britain intend to withdraw from Iraq
    in the future, Prince Al-Hasan said: A security vacuum could happen
    if the US-British coalition forces decided to adopt the strategy of
    quick withdrawal. It is possible to rely on the Muslim-Arab forces
    in this case. But it appears from the statements of President Bush
    and US leaders that the United States will not withdraw from Iraq
    during his term and that any withdrawal, if it does happen, might
    take place after 2009, that is the end of his presidential term.

    According to the prince, British Prime Minister Tony Blair's statements
    point to the same approach after Blair focused again on the difficult
    decisions that should be taken in Iraq in the future and on the
    correctness, in his view, of the military option that Britain took
    in Iraq.

    The US and British leaderships are saying that the coalition commanders
    are doing everything that their responsibilities require them to do
    in Iraq despite the fragility of the situation and dangers.

    Prince Al-Hasan added: I believe that if the Sunni and Shi'i jihadists
    unite their stands, the security situation will worsen and the matter
    of the fragmentation of Iraq and the region's countries will become a
    dangerous reality that we should be cautious of. He added however that
    it is difficult to ask Arab and Muslim forces to help spread security
    in Iraq if the Iraqi parties themselves do not want this. In his view,
    what is required now is not military power but the power of persuasion
    and bolstering the desire to negotiate.

    Terrorism and "resistance"

    Salih al-Haydari, the Shi'i awqaf affairs minister in the Iraqi
    government, commented on the same question and said: It is terrorism
    that is stirring the security issue in the country. It is fighting all
    the Iraqis and its aims are to label all its adversaries infidels,
    though everyone is demanding an end to the occupation in Iraq. To
    reach this aim, we the Iraqis should agree on a course that brings
    all Iraqis together.

    He queried the identity of those manipulating the fingers of sabotage
    in Iraq and the foreigners who have come to Iraq and urged the Iraqis
    to stand against them. He also stressed that the Iraqis want to rely
    on the Iraqi force and a strong Iraqi army and hope that they will
    not get to a situation where they will need Arab-Muslim forces.

    Dr Shaykh Ahmad Abd-al-Ghafur al-Samarra'i, the Sunni awqaf affairs
    minister in the Iraqi government, said: There were no sectarian and
    doctrinal conflicts and revenges for three months after the occupation
    entered Iraq. The occupation is now thinking of leaving when Iraq,
    as you can see, is rife with conflicts. We believe there are secret
    hands manipulated by foreign and hidden hands and funds.

    This hand is like cancer. One does not see it with one's eyes but
    discovers it. When you ask all the Iraqi spectrums, they tell you:
    We do not want a civil war. So who wants the civil war? The answer
    is these hands. A total withdrawal of the occupation forces now will
    be a disaster. We want the Iraqis to agree among themselves and have
    the occupation forces leave not according to their timetable but
    according to the Iraqis' timetable and after the Iraqi people have
    come together and united.

    He added: Terrorism in all its forms is feeding the sectarian
    conflicts, whether by the foreign-backed bombing, the random shelling
    of civilian areas, or the donning of the Interior Ministry's uniforms
    and exercising ugly sectarian killings. He concluded by saying:
    The nation will be all right if the ulemas become reconciled.

    Al-Samarra'i thanked Prince Al-Hasan for his participation in
    the conference and said the Iraqis welcome any hand that comes to
    reconcile and Prince Al-Hasan has accustomed us to bringing closer
    the views of warring parties all over the world and this work has a
    big reward from God.

    Shaykh Majid al-Hafid, representative of the Kurdish Muslim ulema,
    said Iraq was an indivisible whole and the ulema's stands were very
    important, even if they stayed away from power. If they agree that the
    occupation forces should leave, then these forces will leave within
    weeks. In his view, Iraq's history is rich in examples of successful
    resistance to occupiers with the religious leaders' backing. He also
    stressed that the British and US forces were occupation forces and
    the Security Council has not said yet that they have stopped being
    occupation forces.

    Ties with Iran

    In reply to a question about Iran's interference in the Iraqi affairs,
    as the United States is accusing it, Shaykh Al-Haydari said: If
    you meant bad Iranian interference, then ask the US government. As
    Iraqis, we reject bad interference by Iran or any neighbouring or
    far away country. But there are many ties that bind the Iraqis and
    Iranians and there are things that bind Iraq to the Arab countries
    and Turkey. We welcome good relations with all countries that help
    Iraq build itself technologically, economically and humanely.

    As for differentiating between the concepts of resistance and
    terrorism, Al-Samarra'i said: Resistance is a means and not an end.

    If its aim is to liberate the country, then this is what is required.

    But the killing of innocent people should not be the aim. The aim
    might be achieved through dialogue, negotiations and treaties. But if
    this is impossible, then one will be compelled to resist in order to
    liberate one's country. Terrorism is seeking to destroy the country
    so that the occupation remains, while the resistance is seeking to
    liberate the country and the occupier's departure.

    When the ulema were asked about defining the identity of terrorists,
    Al-Haydari answered: They announce themselves, Al-Zarqawi and Saddam's
    henchmen. Al-Samarra'i answered: There are elements that wear the
    Interior Ministry's uniforms and commit crimes that are worse than
    others. Then there are the ordinary thieves and criminals.

    Recommendations

    The other issues approved by the conference included the importance of
    continuing the dialogue between the clerics and religious creeds in
    Iraq by holding periodic conferences; extensive exchange of visits;
    forming peace teams to visit the hot spots; concentrating in the
    religious message on the spirit of tolerance and forgiveness;
    establishing the culture of recognizing the other; standing firm
    against all who try to sow sedition; deepening the religious spirit
    in the development of civil society; underlining the importance of
    the national economy's fair and balanced role.

    The participants recommended preparations for an enlarged conference
    inside Iraq that includes all the religious leaders, the activation of
    the Iraqi Interreligious Council-Religions for Peace, and confirmation
    of the sanctity of sacred places and the need to protect them.

    The conference underlined Iraq's historic role as the cradle of
    civilizations and point of their convergence and urged adherence to the
    noble moral values and the dissemination of the spirit of brotherhood,
    love and coexistence.

    Other prominent participants included Hasan Bahr-al-Ulum, Ja'far
    Abd-al-Sahib al-Hakim, Adil al-Yasiri, Fadil al-Milani, Shaykh Abbas
    Rahimah Fadil al-Zaydi, Shaykh Harith al-Ubaydi, Shaykh Abd-al-Salam
    al-Kubaysi, Shaykh Tahsin Shams-al-Din, Shaykh Mahmud Jarad, Senior
    Chaldean Bishop Andrawus Abuna; Senior Greek Armenian Bishop Avak
    Asadouryan, Dr Nabil Yasin, Jawad al-Khu'i, and Dr William Findley.
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