Embrace Iraq back into Arab family, says US

Abu Dhabi: The United States ambassadors in Baghdad called on the Arab world to start embracing Iraq.

"It is time for the region to start embracing Iraq back into the Arab family," Ambassador Adam Ereli, Public Affairs Counselor at the US Embassy in Baghdad, said during the Friends of Iraq conference being held in Abu Dhabi.

The closed-door annual conference brings together more than 200 participants from the Arab world, including Iraq and the Western countries, to discuss the future of Iraq. "The [scope of the] conference [was] ... expanded to neighbouring countries," Ereli said.

Restore ties

The reason why the Arab world has kept a distance from Iraq, Ereli said, is, that "there was a lot of dust kicked up and the neighbouring countries wanted to see the dust settle before they get involved".

Besides providing aid and humanitarian relief, the UAE, Jordan and Bahrain have started the process of sending ambassadors to the country in hopes to restore ties with the Iraqi government.

The US government hopes the move will encourage other Arab countries to follow suit.

"At the outset, there was a bit of a cold shoulder ... Iraq is going to be a powerhouse in the region .... So we are hoping the Arab world will see that.... It will be better to be a friend of Iraq," Ereli said.

The Abu Dhabi conference deals with economic development, education, rule of law, corruption and infrastructure.

Transition

One of the men spearheading the task of the economic transition in Iraq is Ambassador Charles Ries.

"The security improvements have also allowed us to make improvements in other areas. The increase of oil prices [$135/Dh496 per barrel] has worked in favour of Iraq," Ries, Coordinator for Economic Transition in Iraq, said.

In March, the United States appointed retired senior diplomat Lawrence Benedict as Ambassador for Anti-Corruption Initiative at the US Embassy in Baghdad. "Corruption threatens the growth and stability ... Iraq has had corruption on going. This is not a new phenomenon as no country is free of corruption," Benedict said.

Will this confrenece have an impact on the current national situation? Do you think the Arab world is doing enough to support Iraq? Why? Tell us at letter2editor@gulfnews.com or fill in the form bellow to send your comments.