Whom Does Mr. Zaidi Serve – the Iraqi People or the US?
By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer
Is Iraq really independent? Is it a sovereign national state? Is the prime minister as the Chief Executive serves the Iraqi people or the vested interests of the US?
These questions are doing the rounds on the streets of Baghdad, Basra, the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, and all over the country following the government’s stopping of Iraqi Airways flights to the Islamic Republic and ban on landing of Iranian airlines.
These US-directed moves by the cabinet of Ali az-Zaidi has put a question mark on Iraq’s claim to be independent despite the exit of American forces from the country.
People all over Iraq are not just surprised and shocked at the decision but have expressed anger at the authorities in Baghdad, warning that if flights are not resumed mass demonstrations will be staged at all airports to make them dysfunctional.
Iraqi ulema, tribal leaders, and leading politicians, including those of the ruling party, have warned the prime minister to differentiate between friend and foe.
His decision is an act of double ingratitude. It bars Iraq’s saviour from the takfiri attempt to take over the country last decade and instead shows favours to the US, the godfather of the terrorists.
It is a pity that the Chief Executive of Iraq is such a weak person that he lacked the courage to resume the flights and humiliated himself by pleading with the US to give him permission to do so, in view of the pilgrim traffic between the two countries.
Now comes the news that Washington has ordered its man Zaidi in Iraq to resume the flights of Iraqi Airway to and from Iranian airports. The government in Baghdad has humbly accepted this directive from the US for resumption of flights in October without specifying the date.
The Iraqi masses, however, are still angry. They note that the prime minister has not said anything about the landing of Iranian airlines at Iraq’s airports, after so shamelessly turning away a regular Iran Air flight form landing in the holy city of Najaf.
The real representatives of the Iraqi people, that is, the Hashd ash-Sha’bi or the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), have made it clear that if Iranian airlines are not permitted to resume flights to Iraq then they have no other choice but to take matters in their hands at the airports.
These dedicated Iraqis have an unambiguous goal. They want their country to be free from the shackles of the US, and to resume its role as the natural ally of Iran and the brotherly Iranian people.