BAGHDAD (Dispatches) -- Head of the political bureau of the Sadrist Movement Dhia al-Asadi has underlined Iraq’s strong will to establish close cooperation with its neighbors and dismissed claims that Iran was interfering in his country’s internal affairs.
Asadi told Iran’s Tasnim news agency in an interview that all Iraqi political factions had also reached consensus on putting an end to Iraq’s occupation by U.S. forces.
He touched on the Sadrist Movement’s recent decision to align with Hadi al-Amiri’s Fateh (Conquest) bloc, saying the coalition was created with the aim of opening a new chapter in Iraq’s history.
Asadi touched on Muqtada al-Sadr’s visit to Saudi Arabia, saying the cleric and his Sadrist Movement do not view regional issues in sectarian terms.
"They don’t want to be just one of the conflicting sides in the regional or global issues. They seek to create a strong Iraq in the region and the world and establish equal relations with their neighbors and the world. They also attach significant importance to some important regional players like the Islamic Republic of Iran, Turkey as well as Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait,” he said.
Muqtada Sadr believes the security of Iraq and its neighboring states is intertwined and that "if Iraq is not secure, its neighbors won’t be secure and vice versa,” Asadi said.
"That’s why Muqtada Sadr is seriously seeking to establish equal and balanced relations with the regional countries based on mutual friendship and trust among the nations. He is fully aware that any ethnical or factional policy by the regional states will negatively impact Iraq’s stability and security.”
Asadi said during his meetings with a number of ambassadors from regional states in the holy city of Najaf, Muqtada Sadr reminded them, particularly the Saudi ambassador, of the fact that the war on Yemen does not benefit either Saudi Arabia or Yemen.
"The war will deal a heavy blow to relations among the countries and exacerbate the current crises in Bahrain and the Shia-populated areas in Saudi Arabia.”
Sadr also called on Riyadh to open a new chapter in its relations with Iraq based on mutual respect, cooperation and friendship with the aim of strengthening economic, cultural, historical and social relations between the two sides,Asadi said.
"Muqtada Sadr was interested in receiving the Iranian ambassador to Iraq as well to express his interest in expansion of bilateral ties with the Islamic Republic,” he noted.
Asadi said it is no secret that relations between Sadrist Movement and Iran, despite some problems, have always been strong, "but some people are trying to portray a chaotic image of the relations which is far from reality on the ground.”
"Muqtada Sadr wants to tell those claiming Iran’s interference in Iraq’s internal affairs that Baghdad will never allow any foreign power to meddle in its internal affairs,” he said.
Asadi underlined that the Islamic Republic of Iran is fully aware of the current sensitive situation in Iraq and realizes the reality that establishing balanced and equal relations with Iraq based on mutual respect is in the interests of not only the two sides but the whole region.
Relations between Iran and Iraq, he said, go back long in history, he said.
"We want to make it clear to the world that Iran has no role in Iraq’s internal affairs and will not play any such role in the future and this is a significant point both for Iran and Iraq.”
As regards the U.S. military presence in the region, he said, "We feel that Iran is seriously concerned about its impact on the regional security.”
Asadi said the U.S. presence in the region in any form is a threat to the whole region and that is why Baghdad calls on Washington to withdraw its forces.
"The U.S. withdrawal will lead to regional stability and security. When security is established, no regional state will be concerned about military aggressions in the region.”
Iraq, Asadi said, wants to turn into a source of peace and stability instead of being a threat to the region.