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Lack of readiness of Iraqi forces do not justify the lack of political decision-making for the withdrawal of U.S. troops
01/08/2011
First Vice-Presidency of the parliament and leader of the Liberal bloc d. Qusay al-Suhail:
A conversation with him .. Editor
Abdul Sattar and Muhammad Khadir Baidhani
The first impression that leaves the dialogue with Dr. Qusay al-Suhail, Vice Chairman of the House of Representatives and leader of the Liberal block the axes is the picture that emerges from a dynamic experience of the experiment even though his political experience were not long in politics, he is young Sadrist movement, which drew attention to him by concerned and the media and the public, at the time the statements and escalations media is the theme that dominated the political scene, it was al-Suhail of the few politicians who represent the area of calm and reflection in this scene .. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that have kept the dialogue to exist between the Sadrists and other blocs even in the time Ctdamat preceding the elections or formation of the government .. Suhail born in the city of Basra in 1965, moved to Baghdad in 1986 entered the Faculty of Science, Baghdad University to earn a Bachelor of water resources In the year 1990 at the Masters, and completed his Ph.D. in 1995 from the same university.
Did not agree to any axes before the meeting did not impose on us a man of this condition, as we have not we in any axes was an open dialogue on all issues but links and concerns of Dr. Suhail stopped many of our interlocutor because of time constraints, so it was the entrance to the dialogue Tabie, starting from where the conflicting reports on the extension of U.S. troops from entering or not and this is the part of political history.
The dimensions of the U.S. withdrawal
* From your site in as first vice Presidency of the parliament, how you look at the issue of the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, the end of this year in light of the authentication option Matorteurh parliamentary government, especially the security services of the statement of its ability to fill the void?
- The issue of U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, has two dimensions, the first technical and second political dimension of art is clear now, and certainly all the security services and through the dimension of art will prove in its technical inability, and that the readiness of the troops had not yet come in the form of decent and appropriate, and that airspace and territorial waters and other facilities, the sovereign is not the time for a security hold in an appropriate manner, and we need to do foreign aid, and so to Aeptad technical dimension to this trend.
The political dimension in my opinion remains the most important decision, this opinion put forward as the President of the Sadrist bloc in the meeting of the political blocs, sponsored by President Jalal Talabani, our firm conviction that in the presence of the occupation can not be on the face of absolute nation-building, so the conflict between parliament and the government , and the responsibility of the authority to approve or not the U.S. presence, it seems apparent conflict, and the original is to take a political decision and a national of either parliament or the government.
Certainly the parliament, must be a reference for policy decisions, and Parliament must be a kitchen of political issues but it remains government's appreciation is the starting point for the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki a clear and explicit when he said: We have the ability to secure our internal, but as protection against foreign country is still lacks capacity.
In parliament, there are differences in views of the masses of them sees an urgent need to sign a new agreement documented, and there are those who believe that this issue should be, however, the military, and there is a party, namely the Sadrist movement, rejects this view as affecting the sovereignty of what was agreed upon in the security agreement, you must implemented strictly we do not need to renew the agreement under any pretext or the admissibility.
* This leads us to read through the facts of the political aspect of what you think are the possibilities of reading, for example at the regional level there are dangers and fears of the use of Iraqi airspace for military operations, it is part of the context of the media or the wheel is at the heart of the political picture?
- Frankly, I think that the media may have had a negative role in the escalation of political climate through the transfer of some of the views do not represent original, truly what is happening inside the kitchen of political, making it natural to note members of all the blocks, declare statements appear to be important is a far cry the political kitchen, but it happened kind of noise and confusion.
That the real situations must be taken from the statements and testimony heads of the blocks, and some of these statements may fall under the door of the pressure or political blackmail, but we believe that the issue is too big to be room for this Aladfa, so the first meeting between the leaders of political blocs and when I want to link the implementation of the Convention of Arbil and discussion issue of the withdrawal of U.S. forces, we are the truth, refused within the National Alliance This link between the two, and we consider that they are separated from each other, first, the issue of internal political and the second case related to the presence of the occupation or the presence of an external territory of Iraq may be linked to some of the international resolutions and the mixing of the cards, and the link between the different subjects, perhaps for the benefit and gains on some of the political parties at the expense of the same issues, but we believe that isolate subjects and separated, and the development of clear lines between them, a factor mainly in this area, so I assure therefore that sometimes the media a negative role in transfer some of the statements of people who are far away from the political kitchen.
* Is not a defense of the media, but if it occurs, officials in the political blocs in their capacity as leaders in the bloc or the other, will reject their statements, on the other assumes that the statements confused or confusing as I should be held accountability by the political blocs itself, what you say?
- Usually official statements, derived from the words of the President of the bloc, or as a spokesperson is known.
* Why there is discipline in this regard within the political bloc?
- I do not I call the discipline, but sometimes I call the random country is political, is in transition, and are crossing the X or Y person that speaks his mind, perhaps, or as a self-driven desire to test the waters or to know the concerns of others.
* There are coordinated in the Iraqi political process, is that they are in addressing the issues of settlements and postponement and the deportation of the problems, do you think that this part of the deficit and the inability to Etienne solution?
- There have been no radical solutions to the problems, concerns among all political blocs are still just the concerns of a clear and present, attributed to another cause in the equation, some politicians to not care, but to be number one equation the political, this bloc or that should be the number one sole, and as a result of those Alarbakat The political awareness is important for building democracy.
Concerns of the political blocs were not subject to democracy fully, so the framework of consensual democracy was appropriate to the political situation, but that remains the prevailing consensus is, this is not correct.
* If not approved security readiness of Iraqi forces, you will this government accountable to parliament?
- I believe that Americans, bear the responsibility fully, in comparison with all experiments, there is a conviction history, you say, all the occupations of the doomed inevitably to the demise, and the land of Iraq, known on the historical level of the occupation as a repellent.
If there is no reason directly or indirectly to the lack of readiness of Iraqi forces over the past years, the occupier, standing behind a person directly responsible for it.
And I remember very well between 2006-2007 was between military teams in Baghdad, there are regions of space unintended, through which the terrorists, this was not just one manifestation of administration of U.S. forces to Iraq's security, and they have the military capability and intelligence to bridge the areas of space and the elimination of terrorism, But they are driven by attracting all the enemies of America to the Iraqi arena, and this goal directly, but Aakhvy words of President Bush that Iraq would be an arena for conflict with America's enemies.
* This is at the political level, but you have the responsibility to determine the legal level, where Iraq goes here?
- Once said martyr Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr (Jerusalem), that human West within its borders only, but this does not bother the Americans about the Iraqi victims and promise them a part of the state's defense, which avoids the American society of terrorism and risks, and so they are working to adapt the system of international law for those purposes they have, for example, an incident of Blackwater, which killed a number of innocent Iraqis do not give priority to the victims as much as you argue the case the defense for what they are, so I think the responsibility primarily political either legal liability they are biased completely to monopolize the law.
* How do you see the degree of resolution of issues within the Parliament?
- Completely relative, and certainly the country such as Iraq, the transition was not familiar with the plurality of this form of political system, do not expect to find a parliament, or ideal level of ambition, and we need to five parliamentary sessions in order to possibly get to the beginning of this trend.
I believe that culture is a community that contribute to the growth of relatively parliamentary process, people and citizens are the ones who choose the Council of the people through their voices.
I do not think that behavior will change if Parliament did not change with the electoral system and become various departments within the same city.
Do you think that the law of parties, will come to light in this parliamentary session?
- Yes, but will not come out easily, there are many problematic for dialogue and a change One of these shenanigans, which allows the parties if that was the government which may not be free from bias, it is important I think the law will come into the light, but with difficulty.
* Are often interpreted in the media statements by officials of the Presidency of the Council of Representatives as a two-sided testimony, first, formal affiliation represents the official position and the second belonging to the same official political bloc, what you say in the matter, extends to the duplication between the political and parliamentary life at?
- Convictions for, the official opinion of the Sadrist or Liberal, expressed by the President of the bloc in parliament, and throughout my presence on the platform of the Presidency did not express the opinion of my chest, and I have the guidance of the leadership of the Sadrist movement to express the administration of parliament and I am not concerned or the truth I'm not interested in the expression of political opinion.
* Even if the odds with the view of the power?
- Yes, in many things, perhaps the Liberal bloc, has a different point of view, and my duty as a member of the Presidency of the parliament, to be a neutral, it is my duty to pass all points of view and even those that disagree with my convictions, and all issues of parliamentary table in the parliament and governed by the vote within the dome.
I think according to my convictions associated guidance, to which the leadership of the Sadrist movement, and the leadership of the current approach is concerned with continuously well as creating a number of statesmen who have hum of Iraq, not the power only, and I also believe that the Sadrist movement, a good start in this direction, so see the Minister of the Sadrist bloc, visited the same degree of attention to all areas in the vicinity of their responsibilities without giving any priority to this region at the expense of those.
This is because the router have to be Iraqis first.
* As determined by the first deputy invoked if the House of Representatives to the Ministries of Defense and Interior to appoint or not to need foreign troops?
- This is purely a technical issue, a task that Parliament has the right to see the details of construction of the security forces before they decide anything, but this decision has a political dimension, and the political dimension, borne by leaders of political blocs.
* Before going into the subject What is your priority, resorting to the technical issue and therefore the consequences in the political dimension, or the political dimension in parallel with the technical dimension?
- The two together, and I see that the leaders of political blocs, are responsible for national and moral expression of this view.
* Talk about the project were to withdraw confidence from the government, and I walked hearsay for the Sadrist movement as a part of this project, is that true?
- I think it works the democratic system, he has to believe in everything related to this system, including the withdrawal of confidence from the government, but if you ask me personally, is there a party is able to withhold confidence from the government, I say no because the National Alliance has a majority, through which walking the things the government, and the problem is when to withdraw confidence from the government, what is the alternative?
I imagine even Ccant there is a desire to establish an early election is that this election and call it, will not create new alignments, different from the current.
* There are allegations of desire within the Sadrist movement in this regard!
- Never no, we look at the problem more generally, for example, when launched protests in Tahrir Square, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, gave out 100 days, but Sayyed Muqtada gave a period of six months because the government has not yet been completed did not go to form only a short period too, was our convictions that this minister or that, needs a suitable period in order to be verifiable if the trajectory of success or not.
We believe it is the logical extension of time more than one entry in the maze of political and anonymous accounts and this is not true in the current circumstances, therefore, the presence of power within the government is denominated in it, we do not defend blindly, but there is defense of the evaluation and course correction, but something such as the withdrawal of confidence from the government did not Sadrist Leader imagined .. Perhaps Belhaz expected results and implications.
* House of Representatives directed the case of continuous absence from the meetings, the Presidency has taken punitive measures as a deterrent excluded the leaders of the blocs in parliament over preoccupation with an earlier statement by you, the question, Is there a (filled) in Iraq for the Vice-whatever is more important than sitting on the throne of legislation?
- Let me be clear with you, of course, Parliament is the most important, but the heads of the blocks, specifically, Dr. Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Fouad Masum and Dr. Iyad Allawi, and Salman Jumaili, these four have the obligations of other political, receive delegations, and the claim by the states, it is reasonable to Atsawoa with members others, with conviction, in full to members, are all equal, the difference of obligations and duties of political, they have the burden of additional political, requiring them not to attend the meetings, with the observation that many of these are committed to attend, the problem is not with the heads of blocs, the problem with a number of new members absent.
* Tqrierlahdy warned of civil society organizations (the Observatory Parliament perceptions Foundation) not to publish the names of absentees from a newspaper in more widespread as well as the website of the House of Representatives as required by the rules of procedure, why?
- I'm sure that the names of absentees, fully published on the website of the Council of Representatives.
Q: But the rules of procedure of the Council of Representatives, confirms the publication of names in newspapers and widely circulated.
- Yes, but the Presidency, the view that publication in newspapers, is after a period of time to start parliament sessions and it is reasonable that we begin to directly publish the names, it is necessary publishing first in the website for the information of who has a direct interest and then, after the expiration of appropriate period, published in the newspapers.
* In the report of the Observatory Parliament itself, which was obtained by the morning, a copy of it, alerted to the breach by the report that the formation of committees in the House of Representatives did not match with the Rules of Procedure which states that only members of the committees six MPs while the total members of certain committees of more than sixteen deputies , what is your explanation did not modify the rules of procedure if it's necessary?
- We had an amendment to the rules of procedure, the maximum 17, minimum 7, to security and defense committee where a member or two observers who are not members of the authentically, we are committed to the rules of procedure literally, it should be noted here that the right of any deputy outside the committees to come to committee meetings without that presence is a voice in the decision, and I assure you As official committees in Parliament, he does not have a violation in the numerical parliamentary committees.
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