Al Maliki should take a leaf from Al Quwatli

In 1945, the British forced the Syrians to sign a long term political, cultural, and military treaty with France, very similar to the one being debated today between the United States and Iraq.

Among other things, the treaty called for long term French bases in Syria, the right to train the Syrian army, the right to use Syrian waters and land in case of war, and the right to persecute Syrians on Syrian territory.

Additionally, it gave immunity to Frenchmen on Syrian soil. The Syrians categorically refused, prompting prime minister Winston Churchill to meet with then Syrian president Shukri Al Quwatli in the Suez Canal.

Arrogantly, Churchill - who had just wrapped up the Yalta Conference - told the Syrian president, "You must reach an agreement with France! I am warning Syria because of its negative attitude. Our times cannot tolerate stubbornness.

"Many things have changed. We are building a new world - a better world - where human dignity is upheld and protected. We will not allow any person or nation - no matter how important - to stand in our way."

Undaunted, Al Quwatli calmly responded: "Mr Churchill, I don't fully grasp what you mean when you speak of signing an agreement with France? You know very well that we consider France a thorn in our backside." Al Quwatli added that Syria's principles were clear - and he would not change them "even if the waters of the ocean turn red!"

Infuriated, Churchill screamed, "Are you threatening me? Do you know who I am? I am the commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces!"

The Syrian leader replied, "I am not threatening you Churchill - not at all. I know perfectly well who you are and therefore, it is impossible for me to threaten you. But if I accept what you are asking then my people would sentence me to death, on the charge of treason. You have read - and written - history Churchill. You cannot win a people's friendship with force!"

Brave words, of a bygone era. They kept coming to mind as I watched the ongoing debate between American officials and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki over the proposed treaty between Washington and Baghdad.

The treaty grants the US the right to maintain 57 military bases in Iraq, for no less than 10 years. Additionally, it calls for long-term American supervision of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and Defence and gives the Americans almost exclusive right to rebuild Iraq, train Iraqi forces and maintain personnel on Iraqi territory, with immunity from the Iraqi courts.

It gives the US the right to arrest or persecute any Iraqi working against its interests, within Iraq, and pledges to protect Iraq from any war, coup or revolution. It also gives the US control of Iraqi airspace.

Barham Saleh, the deputy prime minister, said that the Americans threatened to freeze no less than $50 billion worth of Iraqi hard currency, and keep all of Iraq's monetary debts to the US, if an agreement is not signed before December (the date that the United Nations mandate for the American presence in Iraq expires). The treaty's text was leaked to The Independent and the Iraqi daily Al Sabah.

The Iranian government - along with heavyweight Shiites within Iraq such as Moqtada Al Sadr - are pressuring Al Maliki to say no. In as much as he would love to flatly reject what the Iraqis are calling "the treaty of dishonour" Al Maliki has very limited room to manoeuvre since it was the Americans who brought him to power in 2006 and who kept him there.

Criticised

Iran has criticised the treaty at every level of the political spectrum, especially that it comes when there is increased talk of a US attack on Tehran - with the help of Israel - before January 2009. It started with the loud remarks of Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shaoul Mofaz, who called for an attack on Iran to halt its nuclear programme.

The US President George W. Bush echoed these threats in a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Then from Germany, he added that "all options are on the table" for dealing with Iran.

Earlier this month, Israel carried out a major military exercise, seen by many as a rehearsal for an upcoming strike on Iran. Mohammad Al Baradei, the chief of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) threatened to resign if such an attack took place, saying, "A military strike, in my opinion, would be worse than anything possible. It would turn the region into a fireball."

According to certain press reports, the Israeli government has set up a military command in preparation for an attack on Iran, called the Iran Command.

After his latest visit to Tehran, Al Maliki (sensing that Iranian worries were very serious) made his position clear on the proposed treaty with the US, saying, "We found that they [the treaty clauses] greatly infringe on the sovereignty of Iraq and this is something we can never accept. We reached a clear disagreement. But I can assure you that all Iraqis would reject an agreement that violates Iraqi sovereignty in any way."

Realising that it would be impossible to push through with the original draft, the Americans put forth a counter-proposal, which gives Iraq the right to prosecute Americans on its territory, if they violate Iraqi laws, and requires the US to hand over any Iraqi in its prisons, to be tried by an Iraqi court.

The American Embassy in Baghdad insists that Maliki's words were made with regard to the first draft-not the second-claiming that the current proposal is being debated by lawmakers in Washington and Baghdad.

Al Maliki, however, is confused, torn between what remains of his Iraqi sanity, and the pressure of Ayatollah Khamenei and Bush. If he passes by the Public Records Office in London (File 371) he would find the actual text of Al Quwatli's proud tirade with Churchill.

Churchill, a man who appreciates leadership, wrapped up the meeting saying, "Congratulations Mr Quwatli. I congratulate you, and I congratulate the Syrian people for having you. You are a great leader Mr Quwatli, and the Syrians are worthy of having a great leader indeed!"

The French refused to take no for an answer, and went to great lengths, including a massive aerial bombardment of Damascus (with the aim of arresting Al Quwatli) to force him to sign the treaty. He didn't, and the French walked away from Syria - in defeat - one year later in 1946 without getting a single concessions from the Syrians!

The Iraqis are a great people, and they deserve a great leader indeed who says no in times of need, to giants such as Churchill, and aggressors such as Bush.

Sami Moubayed is a Syrian political analyst.