Posted on 10/22/2017 6:34:31 PM PDT by huldah1776
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday it's time for Iranian "foreign fighters" to leave Iraq, now that Islamic State militants are nearing defeat.
"Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fight against Daesh and ISIS is coming to a close, those militias need to go home," Tillerson said during a press conference in Saudi Arabia.
"The foreign fighters in Iraq need to go home and allow the Iraqi people to regain control," the former CEO of Exxon Mobile said.
Tillerson was in Saudi Arabia to attend a launch meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee. The Saudis are seeking to woo majority-Shiite Iraq out of Iran's orbit.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
BIG hint, Iran. ISIS was easy to slaughter...so are Iranians.
The previous administration worked day and night to get the Iranians into Iraq.
That darn Trump is always attacking the Obama legacy.
Tillerson remarks:
https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2017/10/274993.htm
“We are encouraged to see that Saudi Arabia and Iraq have made important strides in your bilateral relationship as evidenced by the recent opening of the Arar border crossing in August and the resumption of flights between Riyadh and Baghdad last week. Both represent the beginning of what we hope will be a series of even more tangible actions to improve relations, to strengthen cooperation, on a host of issues.”
The new Council “will also help support the rehabilitation of facilities and infrastructures in the areas liberated. The council will also contribute to reforms that will grow and diversify Iraq’s private sector.”
$$$ and hopefully get Iraq away from Iran.
More remarks by Tillerson and the Saudi Foreign Minister Al-Jubeir:
https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2017/10/274995.htm
While in Qatar, Tillerson was asked about Iran helping Iraq retake Kirkuk and what happens next with the Kurds
Tillerson’s reply excerpt:
“So a lot of this movement that you’re watching and reporting on is really the Peshmerga forces repositioning to locations that they were prior to that fighting and Iraqi forces needing to relocate to locations prior to the fighting as well, and respect what have been the agreed-upon boundaries between the autonomous Kurdistan region and the rest of Iraq. So we have encouraged that the parties do that, that they re-establish themselves in accordance with those previously agreed boundaries. And then we have encouraged the parties strongly to engage in Baghdad to fully implement the Iraqi constitution. The Kurdish people have a number of unfulfilled expectations, rights that were promised them under the constitution that were never delivered upon, and so there are a number of actions that need to be taken by the parties to fulfill the Iraqi constitution itself.
“Prime Minister Abadi has, I think, made it clear his commitment to follow through on those constitutional obligations, and we hope the Kurds will engage with Baghdad in a very productive way to see that the constitution is fully implemented. I think many of the Kurds’ concerns will be addressed through that process. So we encourage the parties to not escalate the situation, not lead to conflict, and stay coordinated, and not forget that the war to defeat Daesh is not yet over and that remains the greatest threat to Iraq.”
link: https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2017/10/274999.htm
Tillerson strikes the right note.
A lot of Iraqis, including many Shia, strongly want to remain independent of Iran, and recognize Iran’s desire to infiltrate and control them.
With ISIS closing in on Baghdad, the Iraqi Government was forced into the arms of Iran. Now they are in danger of being trapped forever in Iran’s grip. There are a lot of Iranian agents, on Iran’s payroll, but who carry Iraqi passports (as well as a gun) that also need to be de-commissioned.
Time for Ayatollah Sistani to revoke his call for Shi’ites to join militias to defeat ISIS. They are now being perverted to other purposes, by Iran.
Think they’ll leave?
Tillerson in Saudi Arabia
What an idiot. WE were the only people who claim that ISIS was the whole problem. The Syrian government wants to retake Sunni rebel areas also. That’s why Assad has Russian and Iranians there to help beat back the “insurgency”.
Our government has apparently decided to continue on with the “Assad must go” thing.
As for Iraq, that country is at least 60% shia. We are insisting that the Sunnis remain in charge.
Saddam kept the lid on that place. Iran is there now because Bush wiped out the strongman who kept the Iraqi shia in check.
In your post #4, Secretary Tillerson hits another perfect note, for the ears of the Baghdad Government.
Iran may have been more important to Baghdad in war, but Saudi Arabia can be more helpful in peace.
Tillerson is really superb. Masterful.
Probably counting on McCain to take up for them.
oh, “Saudi Arabia and Iraq agreed on Sunday to open border points and set up a Saudi consulate in Iraq.”
The joint statement between the Saudis and the Iraqis is pretty comprehensive. Ports, roads, agriculture...oil...private investing, other fun stuff.
http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/870777c239274a5381c2ad090bfa6fe8
I thought this was quite a meeting. Trump must have a good reputation after his visit there a while back.
Ha. Possible short timetable.
And if they don’t leave? Face it when Saddam and the Republican Guards were overthrown , there was a defacto civil war within Iraq. The Sunnis chose to align themselves with Saudi financed ISIS. They lost. The Iranians had no choice but to support the Shi’ites. They could not allow a Sunni jihadist state to establish itself on its borders. When the Kursish leadership was bought off and the Kurds withdrew from Kirkuk, they too effectively lost despite all their heroic fighting and sacrifices. The Shi’ites and the Iranians have won. The Iranians are consolidating their victory and will not withdraw. The US is left to ponder the foolishness of sacrificing three thousand dead, tens of thousands more physically and psychologically maimed, three trillion dollars squandered in nation building aid to one of the world’s most oil rich nations. Too bad the globalists didn’t understand or read Washington’s farewell address when he warned future generations to avoid foreign entanglements.The
iranians have won and will dominate the area for the forseeable future.
The only thing that will keep Iranian militias, and the Republican Guard out of Iraq is...
Saddam.
Not only can the Saudis grease palms and pay bills like a pro (world class masters), but Iranian stock is going to start dropping like a rock.
President Trump has officially designated the Iranian Republican Guards Corps (IRGC) as terrorist. The IRGC controls the majority of the Iranian economy, and is the basis for the dictatorship there. If sanctions are coming on the IRGC, then Iranian finances will be tanking, as soon as the Obama windfall runs out.
My guess is that many members of the elite will rush to shift government money into their personal assets (and offshore) as they see the cash crunch coming, which should expedite Iran having to pull its horns in on the International stage.
Time to work that transition hard, to shape the upcoming succession of the cancer-ridden Supreme Leader in Iran. That will be one of the big foreign policy opportunities of Trump’s Presidency.
If that means ISIS is gone for good, the Kurds get their well-deserved state, and our troops get out of Syria, which we violated by promoting a coup attempt and invaded, why not? As long as neither Iran nor Israel have nuclear bombs, let them all work it out.
Yes.
T-Rex
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