We welcome any country that wants to help us – Maliki

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki welcomed any country that wants to help Iraq on the basis of mutual interests, but under the condition of no intervention in Iraq’s decisions and wills, according to a speech he addressed to a tribal conference on Saturday. “We are looking for good relations with neighboring countries,” al-Maliki said. He said that the presence of foreign forces in Iraq is similar to other cases, like those in Japan and South Korea. “Today we have the rule of people through election,” the premier said. He stressed the necessity of participating in the upcoming parliamentary election in Iraq on Jan. 16, 2010. “More important than the participation is to make good choices,” al-Maliki said in reference to the voting process. He said that the electoral process is the guarantee to preserve the accomplishments achieved so far. “If we want to punish someone, we will do so through ballots,” he said. Al-Maliki joins the horserace of the Iraqi parliamentary election leading his Daawa Party and an alliance of more than 40 political parties and movements. MH (S) / SS 1