Iraq Sunnis urge Arabs to act against 'Iranian occupation'
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Members of the Sunni Anbar Awakening and US army soldiers stand alert in al-Duwanem, south of Baghdad
1 hour ago
CAIRO (AFP) — An Iraqi Sunni delegation on a visit to Cairo on Wednesday urged Arab countries to act against what it called the "Iranian occupation" of Iraq.
"We would like a common Arab position to save Iraq and its people ...(in the face of) the Iranian occupation," Sheikh Majid Abdel Razzak al-Ali Suleiman said after a meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.
"Such an Arab position, led by Egypt, is necessary to weaken Iran's role in Iraq, because if Tehran occupies this country, it will occupy other Arab countries too," said the head of the Dulaim tribe, which is concentrated mainly in Anbar province, west of Baghdad.
Sunni tribes from Anbar, a onetime stronghold of the anti-US insurgency, have recently allied themselves with US troops against Al-Qaeda militants, while keeping their distance from the Baghdad government dominated by Shiites.
The delegation also called on Arab countries to re-open their missions in Baghdad "so that the territory is not left to Iran."
Suleiman said that all Iraqis, whether from north or south, "are ready to guarantee Arab diplomats' security."
For his part, Abul Gheit said his country was seriously considering sending a security mission to Iraq in order to assess conditions for re-opening an embassy in Iraq, according to his spokesman Hossam Zaki.