FM defends Baghdad’s decision, denies presenting any assistance for Syria

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq‘s Foreign Minister, Hoshiar Zibary, on Monday, has defended the decision of his government to reserve voting to suspend Syria‘s memership to the Arab League, at a time when he denied that Iraq had presented any assistance for the Syrian government. “We support sending a fact-finding committee by international organizations in this respect, confirming that Iraq‘s decision to reserve voting had been sound, independent and couragous, proving that our position had been a strong evidence for the independent Iraqi decision,” Zibary told a news conference in Baghdad, attended by IraqiNews.com. “Iraq‘s position had not been out of the total pan-Arab decision, as every state has its own opinion, and we in new Iraq had our special opinion, that was sound in the current circumstances,” Zibary said. The Iraqi Foreign Minister said: “I deny charges of existance of any Iraqi aids for the Syrian government, whether in billions of dollars or any other aids, including oil products or any other things,” he stressed, adding that “Iraq does not exist in a remote island, but is living amid a regional center that forces it not to take nervous decisions.” The Arab League had decided last Saturday to suspend Syria‘s membership to the League, calling on all member-states to withdraw their ambassadors from Damascus, unless it implements the Arab plan aimed at the settlement of the Syrian crisis..The decision was taken by 18 members-states and was opposed by 3 states – Syria, Lebanon and Yemen, whilst Iraq had reserved voting on the decision. The Syrian cities have witnessed a series of protest demonstrations against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, since last March, whilst the last UN report had put the total victims of the protest demonstrations in Syria at 3,500. SKH (TS)/SR Number of Reads:85