Posted on 09/25/2006 5:11:26 PM PDT by jmc1969
President Jalal Talabani warns that Iraq can "make trouble" for its neighbors if they do not stop interfering in his country's internal affairs.
In an interview to air on National Public Radio on Tuesday, Talabani said Syria, Iran and Turkey were interfering and warned that Iraq's patience was wearing thin.
"We are asking them to stop interfering in our internal affairs and respect the sovereignty and independence of Iraq otherwise we will be obliged to say something," Talabani said in excerpts of the interview released on Monday.
U.S. President George W. Bush also has accused Syria and Iran of interfering in Iraqi affairs and pressed them to halt the flow of militants through their borders.
Asked what Iraq would do if the interfering continues, Talabani said his people would respond in kind.
"The Iraqi people will respond in the same way, we'll support the opposition of other countries, will try to make trouble for them as they are doing for us," he said.
"We can do it in Iran, in Syria, in Turkey, but we are not doing it," Talabani said. "Our policy is not to interfere in the internal affairs of these countries and ask them and beg them not to interfere in our internal affairs because it creates chaos in the Middle East."
Turn about is fair play or so it is said.
This could make for an interesting bit of news,
much easier for the Iraqis to help opposition groups in
Iran and Syria than the US can.
Probably pretty much of a hollow threat at this time. Still, it puts them on notice.
No it isn't.
The Kurds could cause Turkey and Iran big problems and the Sunnis could cause Syria problems.
I wonder what they'll say. I hope it's something like "bombs away!!"
No, Iraq is not going to fund the same groups that oppose it also.
And the Sunnis won't oppose Syria at all.
Great way for the US to destabilize Iran and Syria. Train and send covert groups into those countries to forment unrest through rabble rousing, political organizing and some possible sabotage. Let them see how it works with the shoe on the other foot.
Far from a hollow threat, imo.
The Kurds can do wonderous work, if protected, in Turkey and Iran.
And the Iraqis, Sunnis even because of tribal issues, can do things in Syria. They may be Sunnis and Baathists, but they are from "that other tribe!".
So what do you suppose the government should do?
The US has been a complete failure at proving the Iraqi government weapons to defend themselves. Syria doesn't care that we have tanks in Iraq. They really do know that we aren't going to use them. But, if the Iraqi government had tanks they would be worried. I will tell you this for a fact. If the US really did rebuild the Iraqi Army and Air Force the Madhi Army would be far quieter and the Sunnis would have shut down or killed the insurgency.
No one in Iraq fears the US just wiping out an insurgent village, but if we gave the Iraqi government the power to do so you can bet they would all be afraid.
I know all the damn excuses for not arming the Iraqis. But, it is moronic and it has gotten hundreds of good American fighting men and tens of thousands of Iraqis killed unnecessarily.
The enemy doesn't fear we will use our heavy weapons on them in Iraq, because they know we won't. Then give the Iraqi Army some damn it.
I know exactly the problems that Iraq could cause Iran, Syria, and Turkey. But, I would rather we produced an Iraqi Army that the nations around it feared again.
Those that fear they will turn our tanks on us are idiots. Our military can plow through conventional armies like paper anyway.
Who's "we"? The Iraqi Sunni-Shiite-Kurdish Friendship League Against Middle East Terror?
I agree.
A strong democratic Iraq is bad news for Murtha, Reid, Kennedy, Biden and Syria and Iran and Turkey.
Of all the things Iraq is producing, leaders with some intestinal fortidude arein most demand. This is good.
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