Ayad Jamal Aldin among select group of Iraqi leaders visiting prominent US officials
Tuesday, 26 January 2010 19:21
The prominent Kuwaiti newspaper Al Qabas highlighted Ahrar Party Leader Ayad Jamal Aldin as one of a select group of Iraqi leaders to be invited to meet with US officials to discuss the future of Iraq.
Jamal Aldin - who has been praised as one of the only leaders with the courage to tell the truth about the situation in Iraq - arrived in Washington on Monday for a week-long trip.
He has been meeting with high profile members of the US government as well as Middle East policy experts, thought leaders and journalists.
View his public schedule here to see how you can hear about his bold plan to rid Iraq of corruption and sectarianism, restore security, create jobs and provide basic services like water and electricity to all Iraqis.
Read the full article below:
Washington anticipates future by meeting Iraqi figures individually
Zuhair Al Dujaili wrote:
According to Al Qabas sources, American Administration invited more than 20 prominent Iraqi figures to visit the USA individually in order to meet each person separately and to anticipate the future of the problematic state in Iraq before they start the withdrawal plan.
Iraqi vice-president, Adel Abdul Mahdi, visited the USA, Qatar and Iran. It said that the major issues discussed were not only concerning the exclusion of the candidates, national reconciliation or so-called (Ba’ath Party Reform) but also the continuation of the mediation, which is carried out by the Supreme Council for the negotiations between Washington and Tehran about Iraq and Iran nuclear program. Qatar entered in the mediation process last year to ease up the tension between Tehran and Washington, who both have a heavy impact on Iraq and the Middle East.
Following Abdul Mahdi’s visit, Washington invited Masoud Barazani, the president of Kurdistan, who will be followed by Iraqi vice-president Tariq Al Hashimi. In addition, Ayad Jamal Aldin, Ayad Allawi and a Parliament speaker will also be visiting in turn. Mr. Obama will listen to those prominent Iraqi figures individually to asses the situation in Iraq, which the American Administration itself has been divided by their views about the situation.
Some consider the situation as very critical and believe it is wrong to schedule the withdrawal of the troops at this time, Coalition provision Authority, Paul Bremer, is someone who believes in this. Others see nothing to fear of. Even if they enter more waves of violence, eventually the violence will settle and in addition to this, the Iraqis are getting used to the violence.
However, there are others who ask for more exploration to the situation, to take the necessary arrangements before the start the withdrawal, without provoking Baghdad, as they are not easy listeners. Iraqis usually do not accept non-Iraqi views as they will accuse them of interfering in their internal affairs, according to the Qabas sources. The Americans have yet to make a decision in the next few months before the withdrawal of 60,000 of their troops by end of August.
From the same source it has been said that the American Administration still believes that the new election will result in a more liberal Government and Parliament. Moreover, it will result in a political system characterized by the participation of many national parties. Thus, they hope for more parties to participate and wish for a transparent and fair election far from that that took place in the 2005 elections. They would like all the political parties to participate without excluding or blacklisting and to abide by the peaceful process and devolution of power through elections. Such desire always faces difficulties and has to be discussed with the Iraqi figures whether in Baghdad or Washington.
Conversely, the American Administration has its own views on the main problems Iraq will face and has to intervene now to mitigate its effects. One of those issues is the differences between the Baghdad and Kurdish governments, which are the subject of discussions between Barazani and Washington. The American Administration thinks it is the most critical issue which might erupt in the future. In other terms, trying to persuade the Kurdish government to be more flexible, accept the state and not to seek an independent Kurdish state.
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About Ayad Jamal Aldin:
Ayad Jamal Aldin is a cleric, best known for his consistent campaigning for a new, secular Iraq. He first rose to prominence at the Nasiriyah conference in March 2003, shortly before the fall of Saddam, where he called for a state free of religion, the turban and other theological symbols. In 2005, he was elected as one of the 25 MPs on the Iraqi National List, but withdrew in 2009 after becoming disenchanted with Iyad Allawi's overtures to Iran. He wants complete independence from Iranian interference in Iraq. He now leads the Ahrar party for the 2010 election to the Council of Representatives, to clean up corruption and create a strong, secure and liberated Iraq for the future.