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A setback for the resurgent country
Gulf states send a clear message to Baghdad
By Roula KhalafPublished: 00:00 April 8, 2012
Baghdad: Pity Iraq. The Arab League summit was supposed to be its coming out party after years of occupation and war, and decades of brutal dictatorship. Baghdad spent a fortune to prepare for the show and planned it meticulously for months.
True, the Iraqi government can claim to have scored some successes. There was relatively limited violence during the event. And one key invitee — the Emir of Kuwait — attended in a highly symbolic move, more than 20 years after Saddam Hussain's invasion of Iraq's neighbour.
But other Gulf rulers snubbed Baghdad, staying away from the summit and sending a message of dissatisfaction. The blunt words of Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jabr Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister, summarised the sentiment in Arab Gulf states.
Speaking on Doha-owned Al Jazeera television, he said the no-show was a reflection of the disapproval of Iraq's marginalisation of the minority Sunni community, a policy he insisted was not in the interest of the country or the Arab world.
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Iraq's relations with Arab neighbours in the Gulf have been fraught, as the Shiite-dominated government fell under the influence of Iran in the wake of the US-led invasion.
The popular uprisings in the Arab world have also exacerbated sectarian tensions in the region, further undermining hopes for a rapprochement between Iraq and Gulf Arab states. The Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain has also put Baghdad at odds with the Sunni powers in the Gulf, and was vigorously denounced by Iraqi politicians.
On Syria policy too, positions have diverged. Iraq has been a reluctant participant in the Arab League's efforts to ratchet up the pressure against the regime of Bashar Al Assad. But it would be unfair to blame Iraq alone for the dismal state of relations with the rest of the Gulf.
Frustration
To the frustration of the US, which has repeatedly called for more active engagement with Iraq, Saudi Arabia in particular (and to a lesser extent its partners in the Gulf Co-operation Council) has done little to draw Baghdad's new political elite into the Arab fold, refusing consistently to deal with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki. In a rare concession during the run-up to the Arab summit, Riyadh for the first time named a non-resident ambassador to Baghdad.
Sadly, in these times of growing suspicion and intense stand-off between Saudi Arabia and Iran, few observers expect that fractured relations can be repaired.
"The bad relations between Riyadh and Baghdad go back to 2005-06 and King Abdullah has not forgiven Al Maliki for the Iraq civil war and what he sees as Al Maliki's responsibility in the killing of Sunnis," says Toby Dodge, Iraq expert at the London School of Economics.
— Financial Times
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Gulf states send a clear message to Baghdad
By Roula KhalafPublished: 00:00 April 8, 2012
Baghdad: Pity Iraq. The Arab League summit was supposed to be its coming out party after years of occupation and war, and decades of brutal dictatorship. Baghdad spent a fortune to prepare for the show and planned it meticulously for months.
True, the Iraqi government can claim to have scored some successes. There was relatively limited violence during the event. And one key invitee — the Emir of Kuwait — attended in a highly symbolic move, more than 20 years after Saddam Hussain's invasion of Iraq's neighbour.
But other Gulf rulers snubbed Baghdad, staying away from the summit and sending a message of dissatisfaction. The blunt words of Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jabr Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister, summarised the sentiment in Arab Gulf states.
Speaking on Doha-owned Al Jazeera television, he said the no-show was a reflection of the disapproval of Iraq's marginalisation of the minority Sunni community, a policy he insisted was not in the interest of the country or the Arab world.
Article continues below
Iraq's relations with Arab neighbours in the Gulf have been fraught, as the Shiite-dominated government fell under the influence of Iran in the wake of the US-led invasion.
The popular uprisings in the Arab world have also exacerbated sectarian tensions in the region, further undermining hopes for a rapprochement between Iraq and Gulf Arab states. The Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain has also put Baghdad at odds with the Sunni powers in the Gulf, and was vigorously denounced by Iraqi politicians.
On Syria policy too, positions have diverged. Iraq has been a reluctant participant in the Arab League's efforts to ratchet up the pressure against the regime of Bashar Al Assad. But it would be unfair to blame Iraq alone for the dismal state of relations with the rest of the Gulf.
Frustration
To the frustration of the US, which has repeatedly called for more active engagement with Iraq, Saudi Arabia in particular (and to a lesser extent its partners in the Gulf Co-operation Council) has done little to draw Baghdad's new political elite into the Arab fold, refusing consistently to deal with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki. In a rare concession during the run-up to the Arab summit, Riyadh for the first time named a non-resident ambassador to Baghdad.
Sadly, in these times of growing suspicion and intense stand-off between Saudi Arabia and Iran, few observers expect that fractured relations can be repaired.
"The bad relations between Riyadh and Baghdad go back to 2005-06 and King Abdullah has not forgiven Al Maliki for the Iraq civil war and what he sees as Al Maliki's responsibility in the killing of Sunnis," says Toby Dodge, Iraq expert at the London School of Economics.
— Financial Times
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
