Maliki: Saudi and Qatar at war against Iraq

By artappraiser on Sun, 03/09/2014 - 12:29am |

Al Jazeera, 9 March, 2014

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has accused Saudi Arabia and Qatar of supporting fighters in Iraq and effectively declaring war on the country.

The rare direct attack on the Sunni Gulf powers, comes with Iraq embroiled in its worst prolonged period of bloodshed since 2008, with more than 1,800 people killed already this year, ahead of parliamentary elections due next month [....]

Maliki, a Shia, has in the past blamed unnamed regional countries and neighbours for destabilising Iraq, the AFP news agency reported.

But in an interview with France 24 broadcast on Saturday, the Iraqi premier said allegations he was marginalising Sunnis were being pushed by sectarians with ties to foreign agendas, with Saudi and Qatari incitement.

"They are attacking Iraq, through Syria and in a direct way, and they announced war on Iraq, as they announced it on Syria, and unfortunately it is on a sectarian and political basis," he said [....]

URL:

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/03/maliki-saudi-qatar-at-war-against-iraq-20143823436553921.html

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Meanwhile, very strange, and clearly Maliki didn't get the memo. I suspect this might have to do with Al Jazeera itself (Qatari) and support of the Muslim Brotherhood-- see my bold:

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain withdraw envoys from Qatar
By Marie-Louise Gumuchian and Saad Abedine, CNN, March 5, 2014

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain announced Wednesday the withdrawal of their ambassadors from Qatar because Doha had not implemented an agreement among Gulf Arab countries not to interfere in each others' internal affairs.

The three countries, which are all part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) along with Qatar, announced the unprecedented move in a joint statement [....]

They said GCC members had signed a deal November 23 that included "a security agreement and a commitment to the principles that ensure non-interference in the internal affairs of any of the GCC countries, either directly or indirectly, and not to support any activity that would threaten the security and stability of any of the GCC countries from organizations or individuals, including support for hostile media." [....]

Qatar expressed "regret and surprise" at the decision and said it would not reciprocate with the same move, a cabinet statement published on the state Qatar News Agency said.

It said it would remain committed to "preserving and protecting the security and stability" of the GCC countries.

Tensions between Qatar and the rest of the GCC have increased in recent years.

Wednesday's announcement is the clearest sign yet of a rift between Gulf Arab nations and Qatar, a perceived supporter of Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East -- which are viewed with suspicion or outright hostility by some fellow GCC members. Qatar denounced last year's ouster of Egypt's Islamist President Mohamed Morsy, who hails from the Brotherhood [....]

by artappraiser on Sun, 03/09/2014 - 12:47am

Again, suggestion is that it's about Qatari "support" of the Muslim Brotherhood:

Saudi, Bahrain, UAE recall envoys to Qatar
By Eman El-Shenawi, Al Arabiya News, 5 March 2014

[....] GCC countries "have exerted massive efforts to contact Qatar on all levels to agree on a unified policy... to ensure non-interference, directly or indirectly, in the internal affairs of any member state," the statement said.

The nations have also asked Qatar, a backer of the Muslim Brotherhood movement that is banned in most Gulf states, "not to support any party aiming to threaten security and stability of any GCC member," it added, citing media campaigns against them in particular.

The statement stressed that despite the commitment of Qatar's emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to these principles during a mini-summit held in Riyadh in November with Kuwait's emir and the Saudi monarch, his country has failed to comply.

A security agreement signed last year by the GCC focused on cooperation in the exchange of information and tracking down of criminals and those who violate the law [....]

Confirmed by "Angry Arab News Service":

The New York Times on the Saudi-Qatari rift
Posted by As'ad AbuKhalil, March 07, 2014

" Tensions between Qatar and neighboring Persian Gulf monarchies broke out Wednesday when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain withdrew their ambassadors from the country over its support of the Muslim Brotherhood and allied Islamists around the region." No, Mr. It is about disagreements over which Islamists to support. The Saudi regime supports Salafites while Qatar supports Ikhwan.

by artappraiser on Sun, 03/09/2014 - 1:05am

Had not heard of Ikhwan.

by Peter Schwartz on Sun, 03/09/2014 - 11:40am

The Muslim Brotherhood calls themselves the Ikhwan, i.e.,The Brothers; ikhwan is "brothers" in Arab. Even their internet presence uses that term in English:

http://www.ikhwanweb.com/

https://twitter.com/ikhwan

Maybe this would be of help on topic, 2012 piece on Arabist.net:

In Translation: Salafis vs Ikhwan

by artappraiser on Sun, 03/09/2014 - 1:11pm

Qatar looking for pals elsewhere?

Iran- Qatar first ever joint political committee convenes
Tehran, March 15, IRNA – First ever session of Iran-Qatar Joint Political Committee was held in Tehran on Saturday [....]

Meanwhile, Iraq is rumored to have made a deal to buy $200 million of arms from Iran, but Mustafa Sadoun in Baghdad for Juan Cole's Informed Comment is skeptical:

Has the US lost Iraq to Iran over Arms Deal?, March 15

Documents indicating that Iraq was going to buy almost US$200 million worth of armaments from neighbouring Iran have had foreign policy analysts fizzing. Is it a reward for Iraq’s support in Syria? Is it about the spread of Iran’s backers, Russia’s influence? But first, exactly how real is this deal actually? [....]

by artappraiser on Sun, 03/16/2014 - 12:55am

Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 45 People in Southern Iraq, wounds more than 100

By Duraid Adnan, New York Times, March 9, 2014

A suicide bomber driving a truck loaded with explosives attacked a security checkpoint in the southern Iraqi city of Hilla on Sunday, killing at least 45 people and wounding more than 100, security officials said.

More than 30 cars waiting at the checkpoint were set on fire by the blast, and some of the drivers and passengers were trapped inside.

Speaking from a hospital in Hilla, Ahmed Muhammed, a college student who lost both of his legs in the attack, said [....]

by artappraiser on Sun, 03/09/2014 - 3:57pm

Maliki: Saudi and Qatar at war against Iraq

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In Translation: Salafis vs Ikhwan

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