Dubai: Iraqi politicians have rejected the statement by Iraq's Army Chief Lieutenant General Babakir Zebari about the Iraqi army not being ready to take over from US forces by 2011.
Maysoun Al Damalouji from the Iraqia Bloc told Gulf News over the phone from her office in Baghdad the statements reflects an ignorance of what the Iraqi people need at this moment.
"It is a shocking and unbelievable statement from an officer who is assigned to guard the liberty of the nation and the country from any kind of occupation. At this stage, Iraqis need a liberated country with a national majority government that is capable of implementing national interest policies without interference from abroad. We Iraqis need to start building our future and lead the prosperity we deserve after ages of dictatorship and wars," she said.
"Zebari might be trying to excuse himself from blame in the case that his forces fail to provide security after the American withdrawal," she said.
Another national politician rejected Zebari's statement about the need for full US support until 2020 and said such a call would weaken the army in front of the forces that did not like to see peace in Iraq.
Muzafar Al Ani, told Gulf News the call for the US to stay in Iraq until 2020 was not acceptable by any Iraqi except for those who wanted to keep the advantages given to them by the occupation.
"Some politicians are not popular with their nation and would not stay in power without the support of the Americans, so they fear the withdrawal of their masters from the country. Nationalists who won the majority in the recent election are ready to take over and defend their country against any kind of aggression whether from inside the country or from abroad," he said.
Technical views
Dr Hassan Ali, a political analyst and professor at Baghdad University said Zebari's statement was based on technical views and had nothing to do with the political trend in the country.
"The presence of the American army is not in the interests of Iraqis and the Americans as well. The statement of Zebari will not change the schedule of the withdrawal set by the Obama administration and Iraq will be managed without the Americans by next year," he said.
Dr Ali Al Shaji, of the London-based Al Wasat Centre for Strategic Studies, said the conflict between the professional assessment and the political currents will be dangerous for Iraq and complicate its future.
"I sense a catastrophe looming on the horizon. Iraqi politicians, instead of accusing such a brave officer, should sit with him and discuss his worries and try to resolve the issue."
"Politicians said there would be no Al Qaida in Iraq by 2008 and they dissolved the Al Sahwa forces last year as they were not needed anymore to fight Al Qaida. The situation on the ground suggests Al Qaida is still influential. This means the political optimism is based on hope rather than reality and this is very dangerous for Iraq," he added.
