As the dust settles

In the first exclusive interview with an Egyptian newspaper, the new foreign minister of Iraq told Dina Ezzat that his country cannot do without the US anytime soon

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Houchiar Zibari

While in Cairo this week to participate in a meeting of the Arab League Council of Foreign Ministers, Houchiar Zibari, the new foreign minister of Iraq, received a call from US Secretary of State Colin Powell. "He was very supportive and he wished me good luck," Zibari told Al-Ahram Weekly.

Zibari is planning to have a lengthy discussion with Powell on the outcome of the Arab Foreign Ministers Meeting, when they get together in New York later this month. "I am hopeful that I will be representing my country in the UN too. We are building support for this move from many of the member states of the UN and Arab countries," Zibari stressed.

While in New York, the Iraqi minister, who was appointed by the US-supervised Interim Governing Council (IGC), hopes to "have the opportunity to be received by US President George W Bush". Zibari added "We need to meet. I need to explain the situation. We are in the aftermath of a political earthquake that rocked the whole region and we need to work to get Iraq back on its feet."

Speaking to the Weekly from his hotel overlooking the Nile, Zibari underlined his country's "need for the help of the US". Anticipating international criticism for this point, Zibari clarified "I know that from the legal point of view the presence of the US in Iraq is viewed as occupation. This is not necessarily how I would put it. I believe that the US, along with the rest of the coalition forces, is helping Iraqis build a new Iraq that is free from the horrors of the Saddam Hussein regime," Zibari said. He added that an occupation force seeks to permanently annex or subdue a country, while "this does not apply to the US. We know that they do not want to stay in Iraq for very long. We know that as soon as the job is done they will go."

The definition of the "job" according to Iraq's foreign minister, who is Kurdish, seems to be rather vague. It is not qualified by any particular political or economic achievements. It is not marked, for example, by the holding of free elections to form a democratic government or by the establishment of a revitalised Iraqi economy, but rather simply "We have to go through the process required to regain our sovereignty."

Until this is the case, Zibari argues that the Americans need to stay in Iraq to maintain stability. "While we want to draft our own constitution, hold our free elections and maintain our internal security, we still need the US to keep the situation under control in Iraq." According to Zibari, the US forces are needed to react to many ethnic, religious, and regional "elements that are attempting to settle scores either with each other or with Iraq under Saddam Hussein". The US forces, he added, are also needed to deal with "terrorists that have been flocking to Iraq from many countries".

But is there a tentative time frame by which coalition forces will need to get out of Iraq, as demanded by many in the international community who are wary of American intent? Zibari hedged, saying "Nothing can surpass our quest for freedom but we are not sure about such time frames."

And, when the occupation comes to an end, Zibari is frank enough to say that an elected Iraqi government "will have to seriously consider offering the US permanent military bases in Iraq just as the case is in several other countries".

Meanwhile, he said that his admission into the Arab ministerial meeting that took place at the headquarters of the Arab League, in Cairo on Tuesday, "was a very positive beginning" in a diplomatic offensive that aims to re-introduce his country to the Arab nations and the rest of the world "on a new basis".

For Zibari, building a new image for Iraq is as important as the reconstruction of the country.

To achieve both aims Zibari is planning a whirlwind tour to woo the leaders of the world. After his trip to the US, Zibari is preparing to be in Madrid in October to represent Iraq in an international conference for donors who will contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq. Zibari is also planning to tour several Arab and Western capitals to assert his country's new political line and to garner support for the IGC.

Also on Zibari's agenda for the coming weeks and months is the re-opening of Iraqi diplomatic missions in several capitals around the world. "Top on the list is Washington, London and the Arab capitals," Zibari said.

According to the new foreign minister, Iraq is particularly keen to mend fences with its Arab neighbours that were alienated for years by the militaristic foreign policy of Saddam Hussein. In a step towards this reorientation, Zibari reported that he has been closely cooperating with the Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Mohamed Al-Sabah, marking a new era of Iraqi-Kuwaiti friendship.

An Arab League Foreign Ministers Council resolution, presented jointly by Kuwait and Iraq, was adopted under the title of "Developments in Iraq". It addressed several issues including the need for concerted security and political movement in Iraq. It also addressed pending issues between Kuwait and the former Iraqi regime such as the fate of Kuwaiti POWs and looted archives.

This resolution replaced the standard resolutions adopted by all meetings of Arab foreign ministers since the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, under the title of "the Iraqi Aggression against Kuwait" and, later on, "The State of Affairs between Iraq and Kuwait".

According to Zibari, "This resolution is very significant. We turned the page after 13 years of bad blood between Kuwait and Iraq."

This resolution, however, was criticised in many Iraqi quarters. The daily Iraqi newspaper Al-Zaman argued in an editorial printed on Tuesday morning that the Iraqi government does not need to build the Iraqi relations with Kuwait out of a sense of guilt. Zibari disagrees that this is the case.

"The criminal invasion and annexation of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein left many Kuwaitis bitter. Today, we are trying to reshape our relationship with Kuwait. The relationship has been surrounded by many complications for years so we do not have a very easy job ahead of us," Zibari argued. However, he quickly added that while working to "address the profound fears of the Kuwaitis, we will not compromise on Iraq's rights".

While demonstrating friendship towards Kuwait, Zibari appears certain to stress his intentions to seek "excellent relations with all Arab countries and the Arab League".

"I told Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa that Iraq is going to pay its long-suspended annual contribution to the budget of the Arab League. I am going to bring this issue up with the IGC when I get back because I believe it is essential to demonstrate a strong Arab commitment".

When he confers with Moussa in New York, on the fringe of the UN General Assembly, Zibari is hoping to offer Moussa details about the payments that will be coming forward from Iraq with the support of some Arab states, particularly Kuwait.

In line with this wish to show commitment to Arab ties, Zibari also expressed understanding of Libya's decision to boycott this week's Arab League Foreign Ministers Meeting. Even though Libya had severed its relations with Iraq after the US occupation, Zibari said, the IGC is going to try to keep an open dialogue with Tripoli.

Zibari is also eager to demonstrate warmth and appreciation to Egypt. "We are very grateful to the support of President Hosni Mubarak whose role was consequential in allowing us to represent Iraq in the Arab Foreign Ministers Meeting," Zibari said.

The new and transitional Iraqi minister was not received by President Mubarak, but Zibari was optimistic for his chances of meeting with Mubarak in the future.

While in Egypt for the Arab League meeting, Zibari met with several top Egyptian diplomats. These included Chief of Egyptian Intelligence Omar Suleiman, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher and Ossama El-Baz, the political advisor to the Egyptian president.

"We have started the long march... We made an achievement by representing Iraq in the Arab League. We hope we will make another achievement by representing our country in the UN. We will keep marching on," Zibari said.

All along, Zibari shrugs off arguments that this representation is illegitimate since the IGC was appointed by the occupation forces rather than elected by Iraqi people themselves. "This council has much more legitimacy than the regime of Saddam Hussein. And, when the time comes for free and democratic elections, many of the members of the council and its government will be elected."