Iraq wants to stay out of the US-Iran conflict, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Wednesday. Baghdad wants to maintain a balance in its relations with Washington and Tehran.
Speaking in an energy conference in Baghdad, Abadi said Iraq wants to maintain a balance in its relation with both countries and that this policy lies in the best interest of Baghdad. He also hoped the agreement to restrain Iran’s nuclear program would be maintained by Washington.
Iraqi politician Nadim al-Jabiri said that what has been stated by Abadi are only hopes that are not attainable on the ground because Iraq, with its current potentials, can’t be an impartial party in any possible conflict between the US and Iran.
“Iraq can’t be an audience only, in the current time, because it lacks sufficient potentials that qualify it to mediate between the two parties,” he said to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.
There are still obstacles hindering Iraq from becoming a regional power that is influential in international balances due to the unstable conditions in the interior and the security condition, he added, given that the foreign policy is an extension of the internal policy.
Professor Dr. Amer Hassan al-Fayad, Dean of Faculty of Political Science University at Nahrain College, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iraq has many problems, yet it is attempting to achieve balance in its relations with the US and Iran.
