w11.zetaboards.com Webutation
Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]

- NATIONS

Domestic News: | International News: P | Military News: | Financial News: | Other News: |
Add Reply
Munchen Conference; Secret/Private Talks
Topic Started: Mar 27 2013, 11:34 AM (121 Views)
Daley

Posted Image

Topics:

-The various disputes between Baghdad and Erbil (Iraqi Kurdistan)
-Upgrades and renovations of the Iraqi railroad network, and possibly international links.
-Efforts to increase agricultural output.
-The exploitation of mineral reserves.
-Realizing the potential of the Iraqi oil industry.
-Situation in Syria & Iraqi Solutions
-Modernising of Iraqi Forces



NOTE: These talks are private/secret and are considered to be unviewable by all other nations except those directly participating in them.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Daley

Guido Westerwelle
Minister of Foreign Affairs


I'd like to welcome the Iraqi Government for coming to these meetings today here in Munich, I hope and trust that you have settled into your accomodations effectively and are enjoying this scenic town. To begin we believe we should start with the most pressing matter and that is in regards to the situation in Syria. With Syria being directly on the border of Iraq it is important for us to achieve some kind of dialogue based consensus on the appropriate way forwards. We are most concerned with the stability of Syria once the Russian Federation has withdrawn their troops from the theatre of operations particularly in terms of sectarian violence. As Iraq is intimately familiar sectarian violence can occur in places that have had traditions of moderated secularism and even pan-Arabism such as Iraq which is distinct evidence of their ability to occur within Syria as well.

The sectarian shift and divide within Syria encompasses Shiites, Sunnis, Alawites and Maronites, Christians and Jews and it is important that all parties are given equal protections with no party allowed to utilize new found power as a means by which persecution of minorities can occur. Syria has a strategically important location with Lebanon to its west, Israel to its immediate south, Iraq to its east and Turkey to its north. Ensuring that any violence within Syria does not spill over into neighboring countries is fundamentally important to ensuring that regional peace is maintained. We would like to take some time to understand the position of Iraq on what Iraq feels should be done after Russia is gone and what steps would be appropriate to take as a larger community of individuals.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Bodvar
Member Avatar

Posted Image
Hoshyar Zebari, Iraqi Foreign Minister

We thank Germany for it's invitation and the opportunity to discuss various matters that are important to us.

For the matter of Syria, it is clear to us -and it would appear that all agree on this- that a regime change is inevitable and that the new form of governance must be given a clear mandate from the people to rule, in short: elections and democracy. Our main concern is the interim period. As already pointed out, Syria is not without sizable minorities, and a major concern would be the possible retribution against the Alawites for their perceived participation in the subjugation of the Sunni majority, though both Christians and Kurds are also at risk, especially if militant Islamists cannot be contained, something we fear will happen should Syria be left to fend for itself.

The sticking point is the plans of the Russian Federation, while we remain convinced that peacekeeping forces are absolutely required, and that this should ideally be in the form of an Arabian coalition under the banner of the United Nations, this will be exceedingly difficult to accomplish should Russia choose to exercise their veto right in the UN, the only alternative in that case would be if the Syrian government asks for such assistance.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Daley

Guido Westerwelle
Minister of Foreign Affairs


What about an Arab League coalition led by Iraq, this would be an opporotunity for Iraq to assert itself to the forefront of the international community and begin to take apart international criticisms that have been hurled at Iraq since the US finished its full withdrawal from Iraq. Particularly we would like to see this because of Iraq's own personal experience with sectarian tensions and rebuilding a wartorn nation, Germany would be willing to help facilitate funding and support for such a peacekeeping operation and perhaps even consider contributing to the peacekeeping force with German personnel and equipment if it was deemed necessary by Iraq and other nations in the region.

In the meantime however we must exert significant pressure on the Russian Federation to ensure an expedient withdrawal from Syria in the interests of securing lasting peace, I believe we are agreed on the necessity of Russian Withdrawal and the need to begin the unifying and rebuilding process within Syria so that the region can return to at the very least a semblance of normalcy. In the meantime we are interested in learning what steps Iraq has taken to ensure the safety and protection of refugees from Syria. Often times refugees have the tendency to become unwanted houseguests in the countries they end up and are subjected to seclusion from the rest of the population and while care is given in the short term neglect seeps in over the long-term. We want to make it clear that we trust Iraq and Iraq's judgment particularly with many Iraqis having become refugees during the American led conflict that lasted for many years within Iraq. What specific venues has Iraq provided for those who have been displaced and what ideas do you have for providing safe return for these refugees at some point in the near future?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Bodvar
Member Avatar

Posted Image
Hoshyar Zebari, Iraqi Foreign Minister

We intend to contribute what we can to such a force in the eventuality that it is assembled, though we are still facing a somewhat volatile situation domestically, limiting our capacity when it comes to experienced personnel. Though we can certainly mount a sizable force in terms of manpower.

As for Syrian refugees in Iraq, the numbers that have arrived are not large enough to cause serious concern, with about 100,000 in Iraqi Kurdistan, predominantly Kurds, and this being a region of Iraq that is ethnically homogeneous, and also more or less free from the other troubles that have plagued us this past decade, it is a number that we can handle. The rest of Iraq houses about 10,000 Syrian refugees, primarily due to the fact that the western portion of Iraq and the Eastern parts of Syria are predominantly scarcely populated. Save from the northern regions. We are far from facing the same sort of challenges as Jordan or Turkey, and can for the most part integrate them into the general society, at least on a temporary basis.

As for the return of Iraqi refugees, that is a more considerable challenge, many of the reasons for their departure are still present and remains difficult to deal with. There is no quick and easy solution. Peace and stability must be restored, it needs to be made safe to return. Given the economical growth of Iraq, it is reasonable to assume that we should be able to accommodate them, even though the unemployment rate is currently very high.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
ZetaBoards gives you all the tools to create a successful discussion community.
Learn More · Register for Free
« Previous Topic · Round 1 · Next Topic »
Add Reply

Skin created by tiptopolive