Ahmadinejad to visit Iraq soon

Baghdad: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to visit Iraq very soon, Iraqi officials said.

"The visit might occur as early as the beginning of next week," Iraqi officials told Gulf News.

Meanwhile, the visit coincides with accelerating American criticism over the performance of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki's government and also weeks before publishing the joint report of David Petraeus, the American military commander, and Ryan Crocker, the American Ambassador in Iraq. The report will assess the political and security situation in the country.

Abdul Hameed Al Rawi, a political researcher at Baghdad Centre for Strategic Studies, told Gulf News: "I think the Iraqi-Iranian rapprochement, represented by the highest level trip of Ahmadinejad to Baghdad, has caused considerable unease to Americans especially as there is information indicating that Al Maliki is maintaining relations with regional countries without sufficient coordination with American officials. In addition, there are differences between Al Maliki and Crocker on how to run security talks with Iran."

High-level sources in the Dawa Party, led by Al Maliki, revealed that differences between the Iraqi prime minister and American military commander, Petraeus, witnessed escalation in the recent weeks due to Al Maliki's insistence on leading the Iraqi armed forces file which Petraeus is cautious about.

In this context, Ali Al Kadhumi, a prominent figure in the Dawa Party, told Gulf News: "Al Maliki is determined to act as leader of an elected government and he will not abandon the merits of running the country with independent Iraqi policies especially in managing relations with Iran and Syria because Iraq needs the best possible ties with all countries."

Divisive goal

The Iranian president will visit Iraq where there are more than 150,000 American soldiers near Baghdad International Airport, where Ahmadinejad's plane will land, and which is an American closed military zone. His visit is considered a challenge to the United States, Iraqi analysts and politicians believe.

Mohammad Hatim Al Janabi, a former member of the disbanded Baath party, told Gulf News: "Unlike all speculation, I am sure there is an Iranian-American coordination on Iraq and the goal is to weaken and divide the country. Every country has its own ambitions and interests, therefore, it is not strange that Iran is trying to display its influence in Iraq to gain more benefits." He added: "The visit of Ahmadinejad is an Iranian message to Bush and the American leadership which says Iranian influence is strong and compares to US power and that Al Maliki is an American and Iranian puppet and his role will end some time."