Iraq’s foreign minister says “there is a new world now” because of the global financial crisis and he hopes it won’t lead to an immediate withdrawal of the 146,000 US troops in his country.
In an interview, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said a precipitous withdrawal could have consequences for the country and the region that everyone would regret afterward.
Zebari was scheduled to meet yesterday with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in New York, where he was attending the UN General Assembly’s annual ministerial meeting.
He said he didn’t have any indications that the US administration was thinking about pushing for a speedier exit from Iraq, where it has spent more than US$550 billion, because of the financial meltdown.
“But this is the logic of the dance,” Zebari said on Friday. “Nobody anticipated this major crisis, and still there are ongoing efforts to overcome it, to contain its impact, bail out some of these companies with a huge infusion of cash. But the crisis is evident everywhere.”
“This has nothing to do with liking this administration or that administration, or this president or that president, something has landed uninvited,” he said. “I think there is a new world now after this crisis, and one has to be realistic about changes in attitudes and policies due to this huge crisis that has affected the world economy.”
US President George W. Bush’s administration is seeking a US$700 billion bailout — the largest in US history — which has raised widespread concern in Congress and fears that the US is on the verge of a major recession.
Asked whether he was concerned that the financial crisis might lead the US government to push for a speedier exit than Iraq might want, as a cost-saving measure, Zebari said: “I don’t know.”
“We hope it would not have a dramatic impact to cause ... drastic and calculated decisions that everybody would regret afterwards,” he said.
By drastic and calculated, was he referring to an immediate withdrawal?
“Exactly, immediate precipitous withdrawal irrespective of any consequences,” Zebari said. “I think there [are] high stakes for everybody involved in the region, that every administration will take account of.”
Iraq’s top diplomat said the government still hoped to sign a long-term security pact with Washington before the US presidential election on Nov. 4.
“We are talking, the Iraqi and American side, and I think the draft agreement is almost done. What needs to be done is some political decisions by the leadership,” Zebari said.
“The window time is closing because we were hoping to get this agreement by the end of July and now we are in September. We haven’t given up hope at all, but really still there is no final agreement,” he said.
The proposed agreement, which has been under negotiation for most of this year, would replace the UN mandate. Any agreement must be ratified by the Iraqi parliament.
The main sticking points include Iraqi objections to blanket immunity for US troops and private contractors and demands for oversight over US forces during raids and detentions.
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