US pushes to stop Ahmadinejad's visit to Iraq

While the US does not want a neighbouring president to visit Iraq, Bush can drop in at will always unannounced to visit his occupying troops. The double standard vis a vis Iran and the US is mind-boggling but not even noticed in the West for the most part, Chomsky is the exception in the just posted article. Maliki has already visited Iran, so it is not surprising that Ahmadinejad should return the visit.


Americans pushing to stop Ahmadinejad's Iraq visit
By Basil Adas, Correspondent
Published: September 02, 2007, 23:30


Baghdad: The expected visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Iraq in what will be the first ever visit of an Iranian president to the country, has split Baghdad government.

Ahmadinejad's remark that Iran is ready to fill the vacuum that would be left after US troops withdraw from Iraq has also put the trip under spotlight.

Sources in Dawa Party, headed by Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki, revealed that Americans have notified Al Maliki about their reservations towards Ahmadinejad's expected visit.

The source told Gulf News: "There is a split in Iraqi government's stance - some welcome the ... visit while others are ... reluctant because Iran has not taken serious measures to stop ... Iraqi militias."





Sources in the Sunni Islamic Party, led by Tarek Al Hashemi, told Gulf News: "There is an American pressure on Al Maliki not to come close to Iran and thus it is unwise for the Iraqi Prime Minister to apologise to Ahmadinejad."



Ahmad Al Khafaji, member of Dawa Party, told Gulf News: "[Some inside the government seek postponement] of Ahmadinejad's visit to Baghdad. Yet information reveals contacts continued between the two countries to fix a date for the Iranian President's visit to Iraq for the first time in three decades."

During Ahmadinejad's visit, the security situation will be a significant concern to Al Maliki government.

Sattar Al Khalidi, a researcher in Iranian affairs, told Gulf News: "Al Maliki's recent visit to Iran was supposed to touch upon all matters concerning the two countries but there is an urgent Iranian desire for Ahmadinejad's visit to Baghdad and I think they seek to provoke Americans out of it. As for some elements in Iraqi government, they believe that Ahmadinejad's visit is a moral achievement of Al Maliki's government apart from being an irritation to the Americans."

A Baghdad newspaper close to the opposition commented: "The Iranian President's visit to Baghdad will not come up with benefits for Iraq particularly when Karbala events showed that Iran did not take measures to stop militia activities which led to an armed rebellion against Al Maliki government."

Abu Haider Al Mossawi, leader of Badr Organisation of the Islamic Supreme Council led by Abdul Aziz Al Hakim, thinks the opposite. He told Gulf News: "President Ahmadinejad's visit demonstrates that Iraq and Iran are independent countries .... It is possible to ask Iran to play a positive role to support Iraq's security situation. As for irritating Americans, it is a reality happening with or without Ahmadinejad's visit."