Iyad Allawi, Al Jazeera Net: Iraq has turned into an American-Iranian conflict scene

Interviewed by: Abdul Hamid Qutb

The former Iraqi Prime Minister and leader of the National Coalition, Iyad Allawi, affirmed that Iraq has turned into an arena of American-Iranian conflict, and that he is living in a stage that is the most dangerous in its history, calling on all parties to be wise and balanced and remove the war option.

Allawi called for holding a regional conference to bring peace to Iraq and the rest of the countries of the region, pointing - in a dialogue with Al-Jazeera Net - that the reasons for the protests in the Iraqi arena and characterized by their clear peace lie in many and interrelated boxes, the most important of which is the American-Iranian conflict.

Following is the text of the interview:

What is your comment on the killing of the Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani with an American strike, and what is the effect of this escalation on the Iraqi scene?

What happened makes us live in a stage that is the most dangerous in the history of Iraq, and the region in general, and this is the result of the escalation that we warned us over and over again, and we demanded that it stop and present the interest of the country.

In our turn, we call on all parties to gain wisdom and balance, remove the war option and its effects, and give priority to preserving Iraq and the blood and stability of the Iraqis, and we reiterate our call today for a regional conference leading the entire region to the shores of peace and security.

I have previously called for an emergency Arab summit led by moderation countries, to conduct Arab-Arab reconciliations, to postpone the problems to another conference, to whistle crises and formulate a clear Arab position to deal with Iran, Turkey and Israel, especially with regard to the just and comprehensive peace process, and to adopt mutual benefits, and sign Non-aggression treaties between states and their effective extensions. In these circumstances, I renew my call across Al Jazeera Net to hold this summit.

Are we in the process of a real clash and settling scores between Washington and Tehran on the Iraqi scene ... and who is bearing the consequences of this escalation?

I think what happened is a natural consequence of the intensification of the conflict between the United States and Iran. In fact, it was the targeting of American sites by groups linked to Iran that caused things to flare up. As I have said before, we call on all parties to exercise wisdom and balance, to keep the war and its impacts away, and to give priority to preserving Iraq and the Iraqis.

For more than two months, Iraq has been ravaged by massive demonstrations that the country has not witnessed for decades. What are the reasons for these protests, and what led to their outbreak at this time?

Certainly, the reasons for these demonstrations that have taken place in Iraq and are characterized by their clear peace, lie in many and interrelated boxes, the most important of which is the presence of an international and regional conflict on Iraq, and the last Iranian-American on Iraq, in addition to weak government performance, sectarian quota, marginalization and exclusion, and financial and administrative corruption, And the extent of poverty, so that a third of Iraqis are below the poverty line.

And before all that, a lot of mistakes and sins accumulated, and by sins I mean those arbitrary decisions imposed by the occupation, which led to the weakening of Iraq.

In the past, citizens ’complaints went through specific channels, but in the era of open skies and social media, every citizen was able to broadcast his complaints and watch millions, and all of the above, in my estimation, led to the outbreak of these demonstrations.

How do you see the way the government and the security services deal with the demonstrators?

We at the beginning of the demonstrations made many suggestions to the government, for example, opening a constructive dialogue with the demonstrators and listening to their demands and complaints, considering the killed people as a martyr, and expediting the treatment of the wounded and providing all facilities for them, but unfortunately our proposal was not taken.

In view of the statement of the Minister of Defense, in which he confirmed the existence of a third party behind the targeting of the demonstrators, I believe that we are dealing with a ghost that killed five hundred protesters and thousands of wounded! It is a farce that the government that was able to reach Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was unable to determine who caused the killing of the demonstrators.

Some see the Iraqi movement as a reflection of the crisis between Tehran and Washington ... How true is this opinion?

Yes, true, and at the same time, there are other crises in the region that are shadowing Iraq and affecting it.

Are the demands of the demonstrators limited to the economic aspect only ... or have political dimensions?

It certainly has political dimensions of the first degree, followed by economic aspects such as job creation, development, and so on.

Are the demonstrations limited to the members of the Shiite community or include all components of the Iraqi people?

The demonstrations include all the people of the Iraqi people, all the provinces, and even the governorates that have not participated in their harsh conditions, such as displacement operations and the absence of houses for shelter .. but at the same time they support the demonstrations and their demands. Note that all the spectra of the Iraqi people are curse about the deteriorating political and economic conditions.

You demanded the amendment of the political system, so how does this happen in your view?

We demanded an amendment of the Iraqi political system, and we launched an initiative that we called "the Iraqi Forum", a non-partisan initiative that includes Iraqi elites from outside and inside Iraq, and we stipulated that the participants should not be involved in corruption, killing or sectarian issues, and we worked to get rid of quotas and sectarianism, because it cannot That there be a political system subject to foreign control, quotas, or sectarianism, and that excludes and brings that closer.

And now we are calling for amending the constitution and achieving the principle of citizenship, by issuing an official document called "full citizenship rights" that is based on justice and equality, in addition to establishing a fair judiciary and strengthening and extending the rule of law to all aspects of Iraqi life, and the armed forces and internal security forces assigned to them Defending the rule of law, and this is the right way to amend the political system and start the true renaissance of Iraq.

What are the prospects for the continuation of the demonstrations, and can you bring down the entire political system?

I believe that the demonstrations will continue until the entire political system is changed.

What is your personal vision to solve the Iraqi crisis?

As I said, we need in Iraq two basic things, first a basic document to guarantee citizenship rights based on justice and equality, and secondly the rule of law, and these two issues in particular lead to a real and accomplished democracy.

How do you see the calls to leave the American forces from Iraq?

In my opinion, if we have the ability to protect Iraq, there is no need for the American forces or the popular crowd .. We have previously called for the establishment of a general command of the armed forces led by the Prime Minister and instructed by his orders, and includes all entities such as the PMF and the Peshmerga.

Some believe that the Adel Abdul Mahdi government was subject to the influence of sectarian entities, which contributed to its failure to find political and economic solutions and deal with the movement .. Do you agree with this opinion?

In my estimation that quotas, mobility, and sectarian presence all affect the Iraqi situation in general.

Is Iraq affected by its regional and Arab surroundings?

Iraq affects and is affected, but we want it to affect its regional environment in a way that benefits peoples and stability, and to contribute to solving the issues and crises that occupy the countries of the region.

Is there a common goal between the Iraqi and the Lebanese movement?

I think the suffering is the same, and in my opinion, the quota and sectarianism stand behind the Iraqi and Lebanese crises.

You participated in founding the Arab and International Relations Council, but why do we not see any role for it in solving Arab issues?

This only council that includes elites from various Arab countries played an important role in Palestinian Palestinian reconciliation and government formation, and the council also succeeded in convincing the Russians to adopt the idea of ​​holding "Geneva 2" based on "Geneva 1" to solve the Syrian crisis.

Unfortunately, the weak capabilities of the council prevented it from playing an active and influential role in the region’s issues, but we hope in the next stage that it will have a role in resolving crises.