Iraqi President Lauds Iran’s Timely Support, Backs General Suleimani (+Video)

In an exclusive interview with the Tasnim News Agency in Baghdad, Mr. Masoum expressed his views on a range of issues, including the ties with Iran and the future of the Iraqi armed forces after an ultimate victory against Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group, which invaded Iraq in summer 2014.

Asked about the activities of various political groups in Iraq and their role in the government, Masoum said, “We regard compromise between the Iraqi political currents as a favorable option… I personally believe that national unity in Iraq should be prioritized in forming the future government.”

“The whole parties will need each other, so we believe in a government that would involve the majority of parties, and even the opposition could exist outside its body. The progress of democracy in Iraq can seriously get pace under such circumstances,” he noted.

As regards the ethnic diversity in Iraq and the degree of popular support for the Constitution, the president noted, “A high percentage of Iraqi people have voted for the Constitution. Freedom of thought and democracy are two pillars of life for people of Iraq, paving the way for cooperation among various political currents. We have also enemies, some of which are inside the country, like Takfiri groups and a number of Baathists that are indeed the archenemies of developments in Iraq. There are also countries that benefit from hindering Iraq’s progress. But we must institutionalize and promote freedom and democracy for the sake of our country’s progress.”

The president, himself a Kurd, underlined that “maintenance of the country’s independence and territorial integrity is of paramount importance and must be observed by everybody under any conditions.”

Turning to the war against Takfiri terrorist groups and the plans after defeat of Daesh, Masoum highlighted the need for a mechanism to protect the country against various incidents in the post-Daesh era, stressing that “Daesh will not be destroyed only with a military defeat, as its hidden cells that are inspired by the same terrorist and Takfiri ideologies will remain in Iraq.”

“We will need an appropriate security plan inside the country, and at the same time regional and international cooperation with the other countries,” he empasized.

Asked about his view on Tehran-Baghdad relations, the Iraqi president said the ties between the two neighbors “have gone beyond ordinary political relations, and we have taken advantage of these ties to achieve our purposes. We have always gained benefits from ties with Tehran, either during our struggles against Saddam’s dictatorship or after 2003.”

“We see no obstacle to Iraq becoming a major trade market for Iran, and as I said before, it is important for us to make use of Iran’s economic capabilities and experience,” Masoum pointed out.

Commenting on the Arab League and Iraq’s position in the organization, the president said, “We want the League to be sustained, but believe that its Charter needs a revision, because there are fundamental disagreements among its members, and the Arab League has failed to build strong ties among its members.”

He further pointed to the plans to increase the efficiency of the Hashd al-Shaabi forces (Popular Mobilization Units), arguing, “Hashd al-Shaabi forces should be given more attention. There are a number of forces that are not officially members of Hashd al-Shaabi and are less committed to the law; this issue needs more attention. Hashd al-Shaabi has been a basic force in the fight against terrorists and has served Iraq a lot, but at the same time, there needs to be a special military organization of its forces to prevent the membership of other people in its body, so that the image of its real forces would not be harmed.”

“Without Hashd al-Shaabi, Daesh could have reached Karbala and even Baghdad,” the president noted.

Masoum finally hailed the prominent role of commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force Major General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, saying, “We have been in need of these (Iranian) supports and their (Iran’s) capabilities and expertise, which have had an influential role in our victories in the war against Daesh. The presence of General Suleimani is also in line with plans for the presence of foreign military advisors in Iraq. The US and other European countries have also military advisors in Iraq, so one cannot say that Iranian military advisors are not allowed in Iraq. This is a common issue in our view, and Iran has the same rights as the other countries.”

“The Iranian nation is a friend and brother nation. We have a lot in common with our brothers in Iran. Cultural commonalities and hundreds of kilometers of common border necessitate taking more important steps to strengthen Baghdad-Tehran relations,” he concluded.