دولت نباید به گزینه‌های غیرمعتمد سپرده شود/ اتحاد بیت‌شیعی تنها راه خروج عراق از بن‌بست سیاسی

Spokesman of al-Nujaba in an Exclusive Interview with IRNA:

The government must not be left to untrustworthy options/ “Shi’ah House” alliance is the only way out of political stalemate in Iraq

al-Shammari pointed out that the only way out of the political stalemate in Iraq is the unity of all Shi’ah groups. He stressed that untrustworthy figures must not be used in the presidency and the prime ministership.

According to the website of the representative office of al-Nujaba in Iran, Nasr al-Shammari, the official spokesman of the al-Nujaba Islamic Resistance Movement in Iran, described the obstacles to forming a government in Iraq and listed the cases of sabotage by affiliated factions and Washington’s allies in this regard in an exclusive interview with IRNA.

 Referring to the propaganda spread by the enemies against the national forces and Islamic Resistance groups, al-Shammari noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran supports stability and peace in Iraq.

 Emphasizing the existence of definitive documents on the deep ties between the leaders of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the Zionist regime, he supported and approved the passage of the law criminalizing any attempt to normalize relations between Baghdad and Tel Aviv, “The Islamic Resistance is not handcuffed and does not tolerate compromisers.”

 The full text of this discussion is as follows:

What has happened with the process of electing a prime minister in Iraq and what are the reasons and factors that hinder the decision-making and determination in this regard?

 So far, there is no sign of resolving the problem of electing a prime minister. One of the important reasons in this regard is the insistence of Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr on the formation of the government of the “national majority” (according to his own definition), which of course was to be formed of a three-party coalition (al-Sadr/Sunni/Kurds) but the coalition failed to win an absolute majority in the Iraqi parliament to elect a president and prime minister and eventually form a government.

 At the same time, the Coordination Framework formed by the rest of the Shi’ah factions emphasizes the Shi’ahs’ right to form a government because it considers prime ministership to be the right of the largest population group in Iraq, which consists of 60% of the country’s population. The group wants to form a government with its allies, a group of Sunnis, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and several independent members of parliament.

 Therefore, we are facing a political obstacle that cannot be solved without reaching an understanding between the Shi’ah movements (the Sadrist Movement and the Coordination Framework) on the formation of the largest faction. Either one of these movements can defeat the will of the second movement or another election will be held. So far, none of the above possibilities have surpassed the other but another election is unlikely for now.

 Perhaps the most obvious obstacle to understanding the Shi’ah movements for the formation of the majority faction is the role of the United States and the governments allied with Washington because this axis is moving in the direction of targeting and weakening the Shi’ahs. It is clear that this axis is putting pressure on factions under its patronage such as Masoud Barzani’s party and Sunni groups led by Muhammad al-Halbousi [the Speaker of the Council of Representatives of Iraq] not to move in a direction that is in the interests of Shi’ah unity.

The election of the president has also faced problems and challenges in this period. Explain what factors prevented the determination of this issue? Because some, citing the absence of Kurds opposed to Barzani in parliamentary sessions, blamed disagreement among Kurds for introducing a single option; But on the other hand, some also consider the Resistance groups and the “al-Bayt al-Shi’i” [the Shi’ah House caucus] as the reason for this.

 According to Article 70 of Iraq’s constitution, the election of the president is made by a two-thirds vote of the members of parliament, and if any of the factions fails to form a majority coalition, the election of the president will not take place. This is obvious for several reasons, let alone behind the scenes!

 Perhaps the most obvious reason is the Kurds’ disagreement with one person for the presidency because it seems that the leaders of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) are seeking complete control over all government positions and the marginalization of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party (PUK).

 But the most important reason is the disagreement between the Shi’ah movements. If the Shi’ahs unite, not only will they be able to elect a president, but they will also be able to elect the leaders of the three branches of government because only the Shi’ahs can form a parliamentary majority. They hold sixty percent of the seats, while Sunnis and Kurds each hold less than twenty percent of parliamentary seats.

 There is no problem for the Shi’ah factions to seek a greater share in the government in order to realize the rights and interests of the majority of the Iraqi people so they do not lose their position in power and to not allow the past calamities to be imposed on the Shi’ahs again by repeating the government’s move towards dictatorship.

 On the other hand, the Shi’ah movements are trying to prevent the president and the prime minister from coming to power, who is leading the country towards an unknown future with unreliable positions and approaches – approaches such as normalizing relations with the Israeli regime, supporting homosexuals, legalizing the presence of American and Turkish occupying forces in Iraq, as well as leaving the country’s economy in the hands of the United States and exposing it to devastating storms.

 On the contrary, if the president and the elected prime minister defend the rights of Iraq, pursue the demands of the people, and put the protection of the majority rights and counter-cultural aggression on their agenda, we believe that the Shi’ah factions – and foremost among them, the Resistance groups – will support the government.

Given the victories of the Islamic Resistance Axis, the Americans are making great efforts to prevent the election of a prime minister from the Shi’ah House. At the same time, they openly accuse Iran of meddling in the elections, saying that because Iran wants to elect someone close to it, it will not allow a prime minister to be appointed. What is your assessment of the position of the United States on this issue?

 We in Iraq have been accustomed to this kind of media propaganda since the dictatorship [of Saddam]. Anyone who defends his Shi’ah thought and beliefs is accused of being Iranian. As a result of this propaganda, more than one million Iraqis may have fallen victim to the useless and cruel war of Saddam’s dictatorial regime against the Islamic Republic and also under the influence of this propaganda, hundreds of thousands of young Iraqi believers were executed and women, the elderly, children and young people were buried in mass graves during the Sha’baniyyah Intifadah. Friday prayers and religious gatherings were attacked with heavy weapons, and thousands of believers were killed. Such propaganda has led to the killings at Camp Speicher, al-Saqlawiyyah and Badush Prison.

 The Ba’athist/Gulf/American media, in order not to be accused of sectarianism, tell a Shi’ah “you’re an Iranian!” In fact, with this method of accusation, they issue a murder warrant. However, when the country faces threats such as the occupation and attacks by Daesh, most of the selfless and self-sacrificing Defenders of the Holy Shrines are the same Shi’ahs who are accused of being Iranian.

 Regarding the United States, it must be stated that it is Washington’s position that determines the positions of the Arab regimes on the Persian Gulf and the mercenary media outlets and they cannot move out of the shadow of American slavery.

 Therefore, we say that neither the Shi’ahs nor Iran want the election of the head of state to be delayed. The Islamic Republic of Iran is the country that benefits most from the stability and establishment of an elected government in Iraq. For this reason, the Iraqi political groups must try to achieve the unity of the Shi’ah House, because without the unity of the Shi’ahs, a government will not be formed, and according to the numbers, no other group will be able to form a government without the Shi’ahs.

al-Nujaba recently announced on the anniversary of Operation Sword of al-Quds that Iraq is the “graveyard of the compromisers” with the Zionists. Exactly who is seeking reconciliation with Israel and what efforts and actions is your position rooted in?

 The media and mercenaries associated with the American embassy often demand the normalization of relations with the Zionist regime. Those who act in order to strike at the social, intellectual and ideological structure of the people always insult the religious rites of the Shi’ah majority of Iraq and ignore our right to religious freedom. At the same time, they defend deviant behaviour under the pretext of the right to personal freedom!

 In addition to these people, there are other personalities whose connection with the Zionist regime and their travels to the Occupied Territories is quite public. Perhaps the most obvious relationship is what is happening at the highest level in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The documents provided to us by our sources clearly prove that Israeli elements are roaming the streets of Erbil in military uniforms carrying the Zionist regime’s flag.

 Despite a law criminalizing any connection to the Zionist regime, Iraq is now moving toward passing a law that would criminalize any normalization of relations with the Zionist regime more fully and explicitly and include media actions in addition to political behaviour.

 As for the Resistance, I must say that if the future government does not take action to counter this danger, the Resistance will surely take action because this issue is at the ideological core of Muslims and is associated with the spirit of resistance. Therefore, we are not handcuffed and we will not tolerate it.

For some time now, the issue of the presence of the Israelis and their relationship with the leaders of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has been discussed. Some see this as a historical one, while others attribute it to the recent period (since the independence referendum in northern Iraq). The issue of energy in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is also said to be related to this issue but after the missile attack on the headquarters of the director of a labour company and a petrochemical complex in Erbil, Kurdish officials claimed that the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and Israel had nothing to do with each other and that there were no Zionists at the headquarters and that a complaint had even been lodged. What do you think about this?

 Everyone in Iraq knows that the relationship between the Zionist regime and the Barzani family is an old one and has existed since the time of Masoud Barzani’s father – who was particularly supported by the Pahlavi and the Zionist regimes – some photographs and documents prove this relationship in an undeniable manner.

 The Zionists are constantly present in northern Iraq and this region, there are active spy bases to create sedition and chaos – not only against Iraq but also against neighbouring countries, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran.

 The recent rocket attacks on the headquarters of Mossad in the region may have revealed what Iraqi politicians had been silent about in order to appease Barzani and gain his support for forming a government.

The withdrawal of American troops from Iraq is one of the most important issues in this country. al-Nujaba has previously stated that the Americans are interfering in the affairs of the region under the pretext of threatening national security and that they are pursuing their economic plans, including the oil pipeline project from Basrah to the port of Aqabah, through the creation of internal dissent and political unrest in Iraq. You have also considered the extension of the state of emergency in Iraq as a continuation of the looting of the sustenance of the people. What is your plan to prevent the continued presence of the Americans and their actions and to expedite their departure?

 Activities to oust the American occupying forces from Iraq will be carried out on two fronts.

 Axis 1: Continue to target American forces and interests and prevent them from moving into Iraq and pursuing them even inside bases and trying to inflict the most casualties on them until they are forced to flee Iraq, as happened in 2011. Especially since the government has signed binding agreements with them to withdraw from Iraq and it is very clear that the Resistance groups are moving well in this direction. Of course, severe media censorship is applied to the ongoing operations by the Resistance against the military bases and convoys of the American occupiers.

 Axis 2: Efforts to form a decent national government that does not exclude American influence and hegemony over Iraq’s political and economic destiny will force the United States to implement bilateral agreements and resist efforts to make Baghdad subject to Washington’s position.

 We are confident that the defeated United States will soon withdraw from Iraq and we are confident that all our compatriots will break the clutches of the occupiers and save the country in the near future.