WASHINGTON // Iraq's US ambassador urged Washington this week not to "abandon" his war-torn country, citing progress in security, reconstruction and economic development but warning that past successes are not a guarantee of future ones.
"If Iraq is abandoned and it falls into chaos and becomes, God forbid, a failed state, it would be a huge threat for the security and stability of the region and the world," Samir Sumaida'ie, the ambassador, said during remarks to the National Council on US-Arab Relations.
"We believe it will not fail, but we should not take that for granted because we are facing really vicious, resourceful and determined enemies," he said. "We should not be any less determined ourselves."
Mr Sumaida'ie hailed the new security agreement between the US and Iraq as a sign of his country's "zeal for independence", despite opposition to it that manifested itself in mass street protests.
At the same time, he offered a blunt appeal to Barack Obama, the incoming US president: "Don't abandon Iraq, and let's build success upon success."
Mr Obama pledged during his presidential campaign to withdraw US forces from Iraq on a firm timetable - within 16 months of his inauguration - which Iraqi leaders had themselves expressed support for. The new Status of Forces Agreement requires withdrawal of combat troops in cities, towns and villages in Iraq by June 30 and complete withdrawal by the end of 2011.
Still, there are widely differing views of how fragile the gains in Iraq are; Robert Gates, the defence secretary, who has been asked to stay on in the Obama administration, had opposed a timetable on the grounds that such gains were fragile indeed, and could be reversed. A massive amount of reconstruction work lies ahead, at a time when Iraq's economy could face serious problems given the steep drop in oil prices.
Mr Sumaida'ie said the fall in the cost of oil, combined with the global economic downturn, would strain the Iraqi budget, potentially severely, and slow the country's reconstruction plans; next year's budget assumes a price of US$80 (Dh293.8) a barrel, and it is currently selling for about half that. He said Iraq needed to double its oil production, which would require huge investment in infrastructure, including pipelines.
Also in his remarks on Tuesday, Mr Sumaida'ie urged Mr Obama to seek a solution to the "festering" Palestinian-Israeli conflict, saying it was the key to undermining extremists everywhere.
"If this problem is solved it will not only be in the interest of Israel and the Palestinians, it will defuse a lot of the bitterness and the hatred that fuels much of this terrorism around the world," he said.
But in speaking about a broader international struggle against terrorism - he cited the September 11 attacks as well as those in London, Madrid and, most recently, Mumbai - he also called Iraq the "front line" in it. He said, as George W Bush often has, that the struggle was one of ideologies, between freedom and dictatorship. After the US invasion of Iraq, some of "our neighbours" felt threatened, he said. "They wanted to take measures to protect their interests, and in Iraq they found the vacuum and the space to do that.
"Our Arab friends and neighbours are slowly coming around to realising that Iraq is going to be a successful project, Iraq has been reinvented in the new form and they will have to accept it and live with it," he said, mentioning the opening of embassies in Iraq.
"We have defeated al Qa'eda for the first time on Arab Muslim territory. And I think that's a significant, that's a historic, achievement. They are on the run. They are not finished, but they are on the run."
Asked about Iran, Mr Sumaida'ie cited a complicated relationship between two countries that, in addition to their shared border, have a shared culture and history. He stressed that Iraq had no intention of "exporting" its democracy to Iran, and only peaceful intentions, but would not tolerate security threats from its neighbour.
"They have one way of doing things we have another," he said, adding that the US had done Iran a great favour by removing Saddam Hussein from power. "But our attitude is, well, let everybody decide for themselves. Let Iraqis decide what kind of government they have, and we are happy for our neighbours to decide what kind of government they have."
He urged the US and Iran to engage in dialogue.
He called the election of Mr Obama "inspiring", saying it had "re-established the United States as the true leader of democracy in the world".
"It cannot be exaggerated, the influence or impact of this last election? in the world," he said.
"We have come through a long journey together," he remarked of the US and Iraq. "Mistakes were made. Not everything was handled the right way by the Americans or by the Iraqis. But we've learnt a lot. We should not waste the lessons that have been learnt. The new administration should not start from zero; clearly, they cannot. They should start by building on the positive and learning from the negative. We need the new administration to succeed, because we need to succeed."
eniedowski@thenational.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The lowdown
Badla
Rating: 2.5/5
Produced by: Red Chillies, Azure Entertainment
Director: Sujoy Ghosh
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Amrita Singh, Tony Luke
The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
Dunki
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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RESULTS
5pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner AF Nashrah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Mutaqadim, Riccardo Iacopini, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
6pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Hameem, Jose Santiago, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner AF Almomayaz, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner Dalil Al Carrere, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.
7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner Jayide Al Boraq, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013