Desperate diplomacy

The repeated official and non-official visits by senior Iranian officials to Iraq raise many questions.

Since the downfall of Saddam Hussain, Iran has interfered directly in Iraq's internal affairs.

However, Iranian officials' visits to Iraq have intensified in an unprecedented manner in recent months.

Four senior Iranian officials have visited the country since Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's official visit last May.

The first visit was made by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, while the second was made by former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati.

The third visit was made by former Iranian president Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the current Chairman of the Assembly of Experts and head of the Expediency Council. This brought back sad memories of the eight-year war between Iraq and Iran, and the usual diplomatic protocol was absent.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani's visit to Najaf was unofficial, to meet prominent clerics there.

Inasmuch as meeting Iraqi politicians was in the interest of the Iranian visitors, meeting Iraqi clerics was also important.

The four main ayatollahs in Najaf do not recognise the principle of vilayat-i faqih, or the supreme rule of jurists, practised in Iran.

This difference currently reflects political repercussions rather than theological ones, especially in light of the prevailing regional circumstances.

The vilayat-i-faqih principle is an interlude for politicising religion. It also means leading society by the religious establishment and distancing it from civil life.

Media sources said that negotiations held between Iraqi and Iranian officials were successful, and touched upon different political and economic issues to develop future cooperation between the two countries.

But that does not explain the visits of Velayati, Rafsanjani, and Larijani, who do not hold executive positions in the Iranian government.

Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Sayid Ali Al Sistani declined to meet Ahmadinejad during his official visit to Iraq last May.

The Iranian president did not visit the two holy cities of Najaf and Karbala that hold a special spiritual importance for Shiites, because Al Sistani was not enthusiastic to meet him.

Ayatollah Al Sistani also declined Rafsanjani's invitation to visit Iran.

The timing and intensity of the senior Iranian officials' visits to Iraq are significant in their importance to Iran, as they came at a time when important world events were taking place, such as US President Barak Obama's taking office, hence, breaking the stalemate political situation between the US and Iran.

Obama's speech was also encouraging in opening a new chapter in US-Iranian relations.

The results of the Governorate Council elections in Iraq, which reflected the receding influence of religious parties, also worry Iran, especially as the end-of-year Iraqi elections will take place with a fractured coalition bloc that is declining in popularity.

The Arab rapprochement which started off at the Kuwaiti economic summit, and was accelerated through a mini summit in Riyadh, as an interlude to the Doha summit which was concluded recently, is another cause of Iranian concern.

The same applies for an apparent European change of heart towards Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, and the indirect US approach towards these organisations.

All these developments trouble Iran greatly, as they tend to weaken its influence in the region.

For their part, the US, the European troika and Arab countries do not conceal their annoyance and anxiety as a result of the increasing Iranian role in the region. Hence, they will move to limit Iran's role to its national boundaries.

There are certain givens in US policy that will never be altered, no matter how sweet the words of any US speech towards Iran.

The recent visits by senior Iranian officials to Iraq are no doubt an attempt to prevent Iranian influence from being limited.

Dr Mohammad Akef Jamal is an Iraqi writer based in Dubai.

A piece well written with a lot of insight.
Fernando Garcia
San Antonio,USA
Posted: April 11, 2009, 15:40