Posted on 04/27/2003 3:47:53 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Democracy in Iraq will benefit the entire region: analyst
Tehran, April 27, IRNA -- "The present circumstances in Iraq creates
a historic opportunity for bilateral Iran-Iraq legal ties to be
reviewed and reiterated upon," said As'ad Ardalan, an expert in
international law who spoke here concerning the legal aspects of the
war in Iraq.
In an exclusive interview with `Iran News' published Sunday,
Ardalan said: "We should do our utmost to receive the just
compensation our country is owed by Iraq as a result of the brutal
aggression suffered by this nation in the hands of Saddam Hussein."
Now that the war is over, he said Iran can play an important role
in Iraq's reconstruction. Iran would clearly benefit from a
democratic, peaceful and secure neighbor such as Iraq, he added.
"Iraq will forever be our neighbor and should try to develop
amicable relations with that country," he said.
He maintained that a long-term military administration of Iraq by
the US is highly unlikely, adding that the aim of General Jay Garner's
administration is to increase pressure on Iraqi forces opposed to
Saddam to quickly form a new government that is in line with American
interests.
Ardalan further said that the immediate objectives of any
US-installed interim administration in Iraq would be the
deBaathification of Iraq, the arrest of Saddam's henchmen, signing of
lucrative reconstruction and oil contracts with powerful US firms
without resort to international tenders and, last but not least,
trying to frighten Iraq's neighbors by flexing the American military
towards the neighborhood.
On the anti-American protests in Iraq over the past few days,
the jurist said: "I doubt very much that these protests will result
in a crisis between the Iraqi nation and the US. Moreover, the Bush
administration is weary of confrontation with the people of that
country since such a development would give ammunition to certain
groups and organizations to take advantage of the situation. If
such incidents persist, Iraq is sure to become an unstable and
insecure place for the Americans."
The toppling of Saddam's Baathist establishment in Iraq could
give rise to huge political and social changes in the region. In the
event Hussein's dictatorial government is replaced by a representative
democratic system, Iraq's neighbors would surely benefit from the
country's democratization, the analyst predicted.
Ardalan, alluding to Iraq's 220-billion-dollar international debt,
said that it would be difficult for debtors to press their claims
against the regime that takes over.
He was of the view that UN-imposed economic sanctions against
Iraq should immediately be lifted since "those sanctions were imposed
due to the behavior of Saddam and not on the long-suffering Iraqi
people."
Keeping the sanctions in place when the regime it was intended
to punish is no longer in place make no sense at all, he concluded.
FH/LS
End
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