Riyadh: Saudi, Gulf and Arab officials and political analysts have emphasised that the invitation made Saturday by King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz for Iraq’s political leaders to meet in Riyadh comes amid fears of an escalation in violence within Iraq.
The invitation has also come as Iraq exists within a kind of political vacuum resulting from the long-delayed formation of a new government
Analysts told Gulf News on Sunday that the proposed Riyadh meeting for Iraqi political leaders came after leaders of neighbouring countries made visits to the Saudi capital.
“These efforts aim at forging a balance to the Iranian presence in Iraq,” one analyst told Gulf News.
Dr Wahid Hamza Hashim, associate professor of political science at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, noted that King Abdullah’s invitation for Iraqi political leaders to meet in Riyadh reflected his keenness to form an elected Iraqi government without interference from external regional forces.
This was because Iraq was a key part of the Arab world.
Dr Zuheir Al Harthy, member of the Saudi Shoura (Consultative) Council, said the Saudi initiative emanated from genuine concern of the dangerous situation in Iraq and negative impact the political vacuum would have on Iraq capabilities.
“The invitation of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for Iraqi leaders to meet in Riyadh does not mean an intervention in Iraq’s domestic affairs, but the invitation is to provide the ideal venue and climate for Iraqis to unite,” he pointed out.
Al Harthy reiterated that Saudi Arabia treated all Iraqis as equal and looked forward to Iraqis forming a government representing all factions and political forces in Iraq.
For his part, Ali Al Attiyah, a political analyst, said the Saudi initiative represented a lifeline and a last chance for Iraqi leaders to form a national government comprising all spectrums of the Iraqi people. He added that the meeting’s success depended upon the good intentions of those who attended.
“The invitation of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques is based on the King’s sense of his historical responsibility as he wants to put the various Iraqi parties before their responsibility in term of the future of Iraq as a country and people,” Al Attiyah said.
Al Attiyah said that the deadlock which had prevented the formation of an Iraqi government did not only concern Iraqis, but had an effect on all Arabs and Muslims, particularly neighboring countries
He added that the Saudi monarch had realised that his attempt to solve the problem by working with all Iraqis under one roof, and to work to narrow the differences between the various Iraq factions would remove many obstacles and help Iraq emerge from the stalemate.
For his part, Dr Mohammad Al Zulfa, a former Shoura member, said that Iraq had suffered greatly because of foreign intervention in its affairs, adding that there were regional forces trying to keep Iraq away from its Arab neighbours. But they were forgetting that Iraq was in an Arab land and would only be helped by its Arab family.
He pointed out that Iran wanted Iraq to be ruled under a certain doctrine, but this was rejected by the majority of Iraqis first, and by neighbouring countries second. “Even Turkey opposes this,” he added.
When King Abdullah found all doors were closed between the Iraqi political parties, he called for a meeting in Riyadh under the umbrella of the Arab League.
He urged all Iraqi factions to attend, in order to form a government comprising all spectrums of Iraqi people. The government should have an Arab identity but be independent, to prevent any regional intervention in Iraq’s affairs, Al Attiyah said.
