Syria/Iraq Border Crossing, A Good Beginning for Regional Development

Date: 30 September 2019 - 22:08

News ID: ۷۱۱۴۸

By: Kayhan Int’l Staff Writer

It is an irony that while political borders of countries or lines drawn on the maps, are no impediments to free flow of trade and the unrestricted travel of people in Europe, these very same lines on the map of West Asia, drawn arbitrarily on paper by the European colonialists last century, are sources of tension and at times almost impenetrable barriers for the nationals of either side.
A case in point is the reopening of the border crossing between Syria and Iraq – both creations from the ruins of four centuries of Ottoman Turkish hegemony of the Arab lands – to facilitate trade and travel between the two neighbouring states.
The al-Bukamal/al-Qaim crossing had remained closed over the past five years, since its seizure in 2014 by the Saudi funded and American-armed Daesh terrorists. Though it was formally reopened on Monday by Syrian and Iraqi officials, who flagged cargo-laden trucks from their respective side, it is still a terrorist-infested area, in view of the presence of the CENTCOM terrorists in parts of Syria’s Deir Ezzor Province and Iraq’s al-Anbar Province.
The people and politicians of the two countries are demanding that the unwanted U.S. forces leave, but the Americans are not just refusing to end their illegal presence, they are openly meddling in the internal affairs of Syria and Iraq, by supporting separatist forces, and providing intelligence to the terrorist Zionist regime to carry out sporadic bombing of the Syrian and Iraqi military outposts.
In such a situation, free flow of trade and travel on this vital highway that could be extended to the Mediterranean ports of Lebanon on the west and to the Iranian cities in the east, needs a long hard struggle against acts of terrorism by both state and non-state actors.
As a matter of fact, for the benefit of the people of the region, including pilgrims, and the stability of the legal governments, the Islamic Republic is ready to coordinate security and developmental efforts to improve communication networks, renovate highways, and help lay railway tracks connecting the Iranian Plateau to the Levant via Mesopotamia.
Without the least doubt, Iran is the stabilizing force in the region, in view of its timely help to both the Syrian and Iraqi people to liberate their occupied towns and cities, and drive out the macabrely murderous American-supported terrorists.
Tehran firmly believes that the countries of the region, which are cradles of civilization, long predating the emergence of Europe, need to knit ranks and coordinate policies for reconstruction and thwarting of the U.S./Zionist/Saudi devilish plots.
The reopening of this vital Syria/Iraq crossing and its protection from predators will certainly help materialize the development plans for the region.
Al-Bukamal lies 450 km south of Syria’s capital Damascus (a two-hour drive to Beirut the Lebanese capital), while al-Qaim is 340 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, which in turn is a mere hundred km from the Iranian border.
Iraqi forces, backed by the Hashd ash-Sha’abi or Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) retook the border post near the town of al-Qaim in late 2017, while the Syrian Arab Army, supported by Lebanon’s legendary anti-terrorist movement, the Hezbollah, completely liberated al-Bukamal by November 2017.
Let us hope, it is a good beginning to clear our region of the presence of terrorists of every hue and colour, including the CENTCOM – the Mother of Terrorism.