Azerbaijan, Baku, September 4 / Trend , U.Sadikhova /
Iraqi prime minister's accusing the Syrian authorities of undermining security in the country is aimed at shifting the internal problems of Iraq onto other people, considering the recent political crisis in this country due to the Shiite coalition, experts say.
Head of the Iraqi Government, Nouri al-Maliki, accused Syria of refusing to cooperate in the investigation of two explosions in Baghdad on 19 August, which killed nearly 100 people, demanding that the UN must establish an international tribunal, Al Jazeera website reported.
The scandal erupted last week when Iraq said that Syria is harboring in its territory two organizers of the blast, one of whom is a member of the former Iraqi ruling Baath Party and other allegedly linked to terrorist group Al-Qaeda.
Both countries recalled their diplomatic representatives, appointed last year.
Al-Maliki accused Syria of refusing to extradite the organizers of the acts of terror, despite that according to him, Baghdad gave Syria the names and addresses of the organizers.
The solution of the inter-Arab conflict was not contributed by the intervention of Turkey early this week when during his visit to Baghdad and Damascus, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davudoglu expressed Ankara's concerns over the Syrian-Iraqi resentment, which negatively affects security in the region.
However, after Davudoglu's visit, Baghdad made further accusations, saying that Syria is hiding in its territory armed groups and members of the Baath Party, the ruling party during Saddam Hussein's governance, in order to undermine Iraq's stability.
According to experts, the main purpose because of which al-Maliki accuses Syria is an attempt to lay the problem of internal security of Iraq on another country, taking into account the internal political crisis in the country.
Maliki's security failures are easier to blame on someone outside than what is happening inside, said chief analyst on Iraqi policy Charles Tripp.
"So I think that Maliki is very keen to "export" the problem and attended to blame Syria for everything," Tripp, professor of political sciences at University of London, told Trend by telephone from London.
According to the British expert, in some way Syrians have tried to policy their border better and because the Iraqis can not police their border, and therefore, there are plenty room for suspension and resentment between the sides.
As far as recent explosions concerning inside Iraq, they could have an inspiration from people - ex-baathist nationalists outside Iraq, but on the other hand, they also were clearly facilitated by people within Iraq itself, said Tripp.
"There are a lot of sorts of political insecurity obviously in Iraq and in some way it is easier to blame someone in the problems on an external and this happened under Saddam Hussein as well," Tripp said.
According to the British professor, Shia Al-Maliki faced with the problems inside the government, and is trying to dissociate himself from religious Shia parties and make himself of chief patron of Sunni Arabs of Iraq.
"Al-Maliki is trying to dissociate himself from Shia parties and cultivate people in the north and in the north-west, Tripp said. It is more domestic rather than regional."
His opinion is supported by Egyptian analyst on Middle East, Khalil al Anani, who says that Maliki is living in the internal crisis in the political coalition right now. "A new coalition grew up in Iraq between Shiah mainly and this excluded Al-Maliki from this coalition," he said.
"Al-Maliki is trying to support its internal crisis to Syria, al Anani, an expert of Egyptian Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Trend by telephone from Cairo. He is currently experiencing an internal political crisis since the formation of a new [Shiite] coalition and is trying to blame Syria on the problem, accusing it of undermining security".
In late August, the leading Shiite parties in Iraq formed a new coalition to participate in parliamentary elections in January, which did not include the Islamic Dawa Party, led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The new Iraqi National Coalition included the largest Shiite party - the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council and a bloc loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Al-Maliki said that the new Shiite coalition will not be able to attract main Sunni and Kurdish parties, and does not exclude the possibility to unite with the main Sunni parties to participate in the January elections, Xinhua News Agency reported.
According to Egyptian analyst, this is also seen that Syria is to use the Iraqi issue in its regional and domestic things.
"Iraq is a car for Syria and it is trying to use it to maximize its interests, and its advantages and to send the message to the US that you can not withdraw from Iraq without our help," al Anani said.
According to an agreement on security between Iraq and the United States, signed in December 2008, the U.S. troops should leave Iraq by 2011. The first withdrawals began in June this year, when the Americans handed over to Iraqi security forces the key areas of Baghdad.
Also, the Iraqi government gained control over Basra, country's second largest city and oil south, controlled by British troops.
"But the point is why not Al-Maliki responding to the mediation from Turkey and Iran is that he is trying to pretend that he is strong internal by getting this task position toward Syria," al Anani said.
Tripp considers that Al-Maliki's accusation to Syria is more to do with de-suspension of Syria not as much it is a friend of Iran but because it is more Baathist country and Arab nationalist and the country that has refused to submit to American arm-twisting.
"Because Al-Maliki has a problem and in the sense that he is a product of American occupation and he is also a product of Iranian support, so he depends on both them for a long time, and that brings to the different directions," Tripp said.
However, despite the tensions with the pro-Western government of Iraq and its demand for an international tribunal to investigate the explosions in Baghdad, the experts exclude the appearance of new problems in Syria's relations with Arab and Western countries, particularly the United States.
After years of break in relations with Syria, in June Washington announced its intention to return an ambassador to Damascus, who was recalled four years ago due to accusing Syria of the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
Because of its strong position in the Arab-Israeli conflict, Syria has a great prestige in the Arab world, said Jawad Mahmoud Al-Hamad, head of the Center for Middle East Studies.
"A direct intervention of the Arab countries, as well as Turkey and Iran is seen in the attempts to reconcile Syria and Iraq, so the situation is unlikely to complicate the security in the region," Al-Hamad told Trend by telephone from Amman.
With regards to Iraq, according to the Arab analyst, its government is cooperating closely with the U.S., and therefore, if the problems between Syria and Iraq complicate, the Arab countries will accept the position of Syria, but not Iraq.
Al-Anani believes that Al-Maliki's requirements to establish an international court will not be accepted seriously, considering the U.S. desire to continue to develop relations with Damascus.
"It is needed Syria for many reasons - the Lebanese security and stability and the issue on Iran. So, Syria now is a key player in the region. Therefore, the U.S. wants to open a window with Syria," Al-Anani said.
Several years ago the United States imposed a number of economic sanctions against Syria because of accusing Damascus of collaboration with terrorist organizations and undermining security in Lebanon. However, Damascus denied all accusations, claiming that the Syrian interests mainly include stability and security in the neighboring countries. Syria describes close ties with Iran a strategic partnership between the two countries, not influencing the politics of Syria with the Arab countries and the United States.
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