US transfer of power to Iraq a positive step, says neighbour Iran

IRAN yesterday said the US transfer of power to Iraq was a “positive step” toward the holding of free elections and withdrawal of foreign troops.

“The handover of Iraq’s sovereignty to the interim government and the end of occupation based on UN Security Council Resolution 1546 is a positive step,” foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.

“The interim government is expected to provide grounds for the restoration of full sovereignty, the real end of the occupation, and free and timely general elections,” he added.

“The wrong policies of the occupiers have brought about terrible, insecure conditions in Iraq, and the Iraqi people must do all they can to restore the damage and negative effects left behind by the occupiers.”

Gulf Arab monarchies, some of which held strong reservations about the US-led invasion of Iraq last year, also welcomed the transfer of power to the Iraqis, hoping for a speedy restoration of security to their troubled northern neighbour.

The transfer of power in Iraq is “a step on the right path to building a unified Iraq”, the Gulf Cooperation Council said yesterday. The GCC also expressed “confidence (in the capacity) of the interim government and the Iraqis to overcome the difficult situation Iraq is experiencing, by strengthening national unity”.

The GCC groups Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The reticence of some of the Gulf states, notably Saudi Arabia, towards the launch of the war in March 2003 had further strained relations with Washington, already impacted by the September 11 attacks.

Saudi Arabia, where 15 of the 19 hijackers in the suicide attacks came from, suffered in particular by Washington redeploying its major air operations in the Middle East to Qatar before the war was launched.

While the Saudi cabinet expressed “satisfaction with the transfer of sovereignty in Iraq” the kingdom’s press, which reflects the official point of view, cautiously welcomed the handover.

The Al-Riyadh daily questioned how far “real authority is in the hands of the Americans” while the Iraqi state and its authorities are merely “a screen”.

It added the US had “invaded Iraq under doubtful pretexts”.