National - Kurdish Globe

The Kurdish Globe No. 345, Monday, March 26, 2012 5Ban Ki-moon to attend Arab Summit in IraqIraqi Minister ofForeign AffairsDr. Hoshyar Zebaricommented on theupcoming March 29Arab Summitin Baghdad.Foreign Minister says post-summitIraq will be differentIn an interview conducted atthe Foreign Affairs Ministry inBaghdad, Minister Zebari toldthe Globe that eight to 12 Arabpresidents will participate in thesummit, which is estimated tocost around US$600 million.Below is the text of the intervtview:Globe: When will the ArabSummit be held and what is theagenda?Zebari: The Arab Summit willbe held in Baghdad on March29. Before that and on the 27th,the meeting of the Arab Financeand Economy Ministers will beheld, and on the 28th the meetiting of the Arab Ministers of Foreteign Affairs will be held, bothof which will be in Baghdad,followed by the summit on the29th.Globe: Are all the Arab counttries invited? What about Syria?Zebari: We have officially invtvited all the Arab countries exctcept Syria, as there was a commtmon decision by Arab countriesnot to invite Syria due to thecurrent situations in the countryand the war against the citizensof this country. This means thatwe have invited 21 countries toattend the summit in Baghdad,all of which claim they will atttend. Numerous Iraqi ministersand officials have delivered theinvitations to those 21 countries,and none has refused the invitattion. However, on which leveleach country will attend is theirdecision.Globe: How many leaders ofArab countries are expected toattend?Zebari: Per the Arab Communtnity standards and experience,there has never been an ArabSummit attended by all Arabpresidents and leaders, and therehave always been absentees.According to confirmed informtmation, we expect that betweeneight to 12 presidents and leadeters from Arab countries attendthe summit, and if this happens,we will say that the summit wasa success.Globe: As thousands of guestscome to Baghdad for the summtmit, where are you in terms ofpreparations?Zebari: Technical and logisttical preparations are alreadymade. Baghdad is ready for thesummit, and all the hotels andpalaces are ready to receive theguests.Globe: How many hotels, palataces and villas are prepared forthe guests?Zebari: The Presidential Palatace, which is very large andunique, has been renovated andready. It used to be occupied bythe U.S. Army and the U.S. Constsulate, and despite being bombtbarded, it has now been comptpletely renovated. And the ArabLeague has seen the place andis impressed by the decorationsand preparations; it has also saidthat future hosts of the summitshould work very hard to imitateIraq. More than 10 halls are alsoprepared, only two of whichwill be primarily used. Rashid,Sheraton, Ashtar, Palestine,Meridian, Baghdad, Babel andMansour hotels are all ready towelcome guests. This is besideshundreds of other places to hostthe visitors. Moreover, there are27 presidential villas borrowedfrom our people and renovated,such as Dr. Rozh Noori’s house,a number of Mam Jalal’s housetes, Dr. Ibrahim Jaafari’s house,Rafi Issawi’s house and other offtficials’ houses.Globe: How many people willcome here for the summit?Zebari: More than 500 reporteters are expected to cover thesummit, but for the delegationsof the countries, it is not clear, aseach country might change thesize of its delegation; but theyare thousands of people. Wehave prepared more space thanrequested by the Arab League.Globe: What is the cost of hostiting the summit?Zebari: The cost is very high.Initially some US$400 millionwas allocated for the preparattions and associated renovattions, but we have now requestedmore, as new issues have risen.The total costs would reach US$500-600 million. However, thismoney hasn’t disappeared butrather has been invested, andeven if the summit is not organtnized, the money has been usedin renovating palaces, roads,building and renovating hotels,renovating the airport, buildingnew stuff. The problem in Iraqis everyone thinks negativelyand believes that everyone is athief and corrupt. Once an offtficial asked me, “Aren’t youafraid of signing those contractsvaluing 10m to 50m?” I said no,as I have no doubt about myselfand am not afraid, especially asI told the ministerial council thatI accept to chair the preparationcommittee with two conditions:First, that no one interferes in thework of the committee, and wewill be available for all monitoriting and investigations. Second,we need to have enough budgetand welcome any auditing bythe Integrity Board.Globe: It is said that you havebought 400 bulletproof vehiclesfor the summit?Zebari: Those things are farfrom truth; we have only bought50 to 60 vehicles, but now thereare numerous officials, wealthypeople and Mullahs who havebulletproof cars.Globe: Is any non-Arab counttry invited to the summit?Zebari: We have not invitedany other countries to attendthe summit. Besides the Arabcountries, we have invited fourinternational and regional organtnizations including the UnitedNations, the European Union,the African Union and the Orgtganization of Islamic Cooperattion. And I am announcing thatthrough your paper that we havereceived a letter from Ban Kimoon,the United Nations Secrtretary-General, a few days agoconfirming that he will attendthe summit, which if it happenswill have its own significance.Globe: Rumors are that Intterpol has asked Iraq to arrestOmar Hassan al-Bashir, Sudan’spresident, if he attends the summtmit.Zebari: These rumors are nottrue and are baseless. Unforttunately this rumor came fromKurdistan. Iraq is not part of theInternational Court of Justicethat has summoned al-Bashir.Besides, this man is attendingnumerous meetings and congtgresses in various countries aftter the count’s decision. He isnot being arrested.Globe: Does any of the Arabcountries have conditions for atttendance, as it was reported thatSaudi Arabia and Kuwait hadsome conditions?Zebari: No, this is not true, andno country has put conditions toattend.Globe: When would the summtmit be described as a success?Zebari: The summit has been asuccess so far, as no one imagitined that Iraq could bring 21Arab countries onto its soil—and especially to Baghdad andthe way it is now. The initialdelegations are now arriving inBaghdad.Globe: What will be the benefitof this summit for Iraqis?Zebari: The summit is a succtcess for all of Iraq from Kurditistan to its other end. This willachieve two objectives: First,after the 1990s invasion of Kuwtwait, Iraq has been separatedfrom the Arab world and hashad no role due to war, sanctionsand isolation. After this summitIraq will regain a legal statusin the Region and Arab world.The summit and the presenceof those Arab leaders in it willrecover trust for the politicians,diplomats, business people andinvestors. This summit will beimportant for the Kurds as well.Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari speaks to Reuters during an interviewin Baghdad December 21, 2011.Second, the summit will changeIraq by breaking the sanctionson it, as in the past Iraq waslooked at as an illegal birth byArab countries that claimed thatit was invaded and governed bya bad tribal regime. Hence, thepresence of all these Arab leadeters and holding the summit inBaghdad is giving legitimacyto Iraq and its political process.Therefore, we say that a postsummitIraq is a different Iraq,and especially development inthe economic, business and invtvestment aspects will boost dramtmatically.Globe: What does Maliki’s rectcent Kuwait visit mean?Zebari: It was very successfulfrom all aspects. We agreed toremove the problems of the IraqiAirlines. Iraq could not buy aplane and, if it had a buildinganywhere in Kuwait, it wouldhave been confiscated; but weagreed to put an end to this issueand we also agreed that all thecourt cases of Kuwait againstIraq be withdrawn. It was dectcided that we spend US$300million and they spend US$200million to solve those issues.Moreover, there are some obligtgations on Iraq, which we willfulfill such as respecting thedecision of the United NationsSecurity Council about the Iraq-Kuwait border after the KuwaitWar, despite all the unsettledissues related to this decision,which are not in the benefit ofIraq and some Iraqi farmers whohave lands inside Kuwait, whoshould be compensated. Besidessome water border issues thatare against Iraq’s interests, wesaid that all of these should bemanaged mutually.Globe: What happened to theissue of Mubarak Port?Zebari: A big discussion wascreated over the issue. This porthas no negative impacts on Iraq,and we submitted a court case onthe issue and we won the case.Globe: Iraq’s stance on the Syritia situation is being criticized.Zebari: We are with the Arabs’common voice toward a solutionfor the country’s current situattion. We are against the SyrianRegime if it kills its own people.If the Syrian nation changesAssad, Iraq cannot stop that,and if an international decree ismade against Syria, Iraq wouldnot object, but what is clearnow is that we have not closedour border with Syria and havenot summoned our ambassadorfrom that country, as we havemutual interests with Syria.Globe: How many foreign embtbassies are there in Iraq and howmany Iraqi embassies are therein the world?Zebari: There are currently98 embassies and internationalorganizations in Iraq, and Iraqhas 90 embassies and consulatates worldwide; we are planningto open an Iraqi consulate in theIranian Province of Urumiah.REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen