08 March 2007
U.S. Welcomes Iraqi Effort to Engage Neighbors on Security
Rice's adviser says United States prepared to discuss Iraq with Iran, Syria
Washington – A senior U.S. official welcomed the Iraqi Neighbors Conference, scheduled for March 10 in Baghdad, Iraq, as a useful new format for discussions with all of Iraq’s neighbors about the assistance Iraq needs to establish a secure, stable, peaceful and democratic environment.
“For all of these tracks to be fully successful – security, political, economic – Iraq needs support not just from us, not just from our coalition partners, but it needs broader support from its neighbors, from the region, from the international community,” said David Satterfield, chief adviser to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Iraq affairs, during a March 8 briefing in Washington.
Satterfield said it is particularly useful for Iran and Syria to be part of this conference because it allows them to hear a concerted message from all of their neighbors about the situation in Iraq. (See related article.)
“I think it is of value for Iran and Syria to hear from a variety, indeed a comprehensive range, of Iraq's neighbors, their neighbors, others -- the P5 [five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council] -- interested in peace and stability in Iraq, to hear that message,” he said, adding that it would be instructive to see how they respond to these issues in a multilateral setting.
Satterfield said the United States has particular concerns about Iran providing materiel and training to Iraqi militias, and about Syria allowing jihadis and former Iraqi Baathist officials to use its border to enter Iraq. (See related article.)
He said the United States currently has no plan to hold bilateral meetings with either Iran or Syria during the conference, but that the format of the event would allow for such meetings if the need arises. He said he and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad would decide whether or not to pursue discussions with Iran and Syria when they see how the conference develops. “If we are approached over orange juice by the Syrians or the Iranians to discuss an Iraq-related issue that is germane to this topic -- stable, secure, peaceful, democratic Iraq -- we are not going to turn and walk away,” Satterfield said.
The format of the conference allows each of the participants to present its views about the situation during a multilateral plenary session. Satterfield said he expects Iraq to explain its efforts to promote security, political reconciliation and economic development and to state what it needs from its neighbors to achieve these goals, particularly in terms of border security, political support, debt relief and investment. He said the United States would make clear its concerns about Iranian and Syrian behavior regarding Iraq.
Satterfield emphasized that the March 10 conference is the first step in a process of engaging the entire region in Iraq’s stabilization efforts and not a stand-alone event. He said preliminary plans call for a follow-up ministerial-level meeting with the same countries in April.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
