Middle East

Secret meeting in Tanzania: US seeks Baathists and Sunni militiamen into Iraq’s long-term political system

PHOTO: RAMZI HAIDAR/AFP/Getty

The first meeting in Qatar’s capital Doha for three weeks led to that the remains of key members of the Baathist party, former generals of the dictatorship of Saddam’s Republican Guard, Shiite parties and representatives of Al Abadi government were gathered together. This week Tanzania witnessed a new meeting which was kept secret between representatives from Baathist, and representatives of Abadi government. The US and the UK was mediating the meeting. Three more sessions are planned, according to well-informed Iraqi sources who were party to the talks but requested anonymity because of their sensitive nature.

The purpose of this meeting was to arrange to form bonds between the Iraqi government and Baathists. Representatives from this meeting included nine different groupings, common to all was that they all where from central military members of Baathists. Today are two of these groups better known as «the Islamic Army in Iraq» and «the Naqshbandi Brigade». The Naqshbandi Brigade was previously headed by Izzat Ibrahim al Douri, Saddam Hussein’s forms deputy who was killed on April 17 this year near Al-Alaas oil fields in Hemreen, east of Tikrit.

The Islamic Army in Iraq and the Naqshbandi Brigade has a historical archive that is full of terrorist attacks carried out against the Iraqi people. These terrorist attacks including kidnapping, bombing and brutal beheading of especially Shia Muslims

AMC News has received anonymous tip from a reliable source in European Intelligence Service in brussels about the meeting that took place in Tanzania. Participants of the meeting included nine different groups. Today, two of these groups are better known as the Islamic Army in Iraq and and the Naqshbandi Brigade. At the meeting also attended Khamis al-Khanjar. Khamis al-Khanjar has strong relations with Sunni groups, particularly tribes from Anbar province and Baathists generals. He is intended as an important representative of the Qatari government. The Islamic Army in Iraq and the Naqshbandi Brigade has a historical archive that is full of terrorist attacks carried out against the Iraqi people. These terrorist attacks including kidnapping, bombing and brutal beheading of especially Shia Muslims. The other groups under meeting has assumed the responsibility for supplying Mosul to ISIL, since they were part of ISIL before they escape Iraq.

According to the source is Abadi government forced to form an agreement with Baathists, because Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Shiite parties that today are part of the Iraqi government needed to sign an agreement before they could get approval to lead the Iraqi government. This agreement requires political reforms which include the release of key members of Baathists who currently sits in jail, among them Sultan Hashim former interior minister in the dictatorship of Saddam.

The source confirms that the purpose of this meeting is to reinstate key members of Baathists in the military, intelligence service and the police. Other points in the agenda for this meeting was to ensure that the Iraqi justice system dropped all judgments made against Baathists who currently sits in prison. This agreement requires that the judgment against former Finance Minister Rafi al-Issawi Hiyad get removed.

Insiders say there has been significant progress, with representatives from Saddam’s former Baathist regime conceding for the first time that the Kurdistan region could have full autonomy within a future Iraq – a previous stumbling block as Baathist groups had insisted that Iraq must remain a fully unitary state.

This Agreement which include Baathists would secure the US strong political and military position in Iraq.

This deal is very important and necessary for the United States according to the source. This Agreement which include Baathists would secure the US strong political and military position in Iraq. This agreement could also weaken the influence of the Iranian Shiite regime could have on Iraq’s own Shiite majority. Especially after al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Iraqi volunteer forces) in the past have flourished in Iraq as a strong military platform. Al-Hashd al-Shaabi has in recent months released several cities and lands from ISIL like Jurf al Sakhar, Amirli, Diyala, Tikrit and half of Bayji.

The US has repeatedly tried to undermine and thwart Al-Hashd al-Shaabi by delaying (dates and times) weapon delivery to Iraqi government for fear that these weapons could fall into the hands of Al-Hashd al-Shaabi. Iran from its side managed to deliver weapons to the Iraqi authorities, which further ensured that Iraqi volunteers forces managed to win the battlefield against ISIL. Precisely this has worried the United States. The US has therefore accelerated the process by demanding political reforms from Abadi government, so that the US can obtain back Baathists to power and ensure that they become part of the long-term political reform in Iraq. Three more sessions are planned in Doha, Riyadh and in Paris to carry out a final agreement with Abadi government.

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