From February 4 to March 23
February 4, 2019
Statement by Dr. Haider Al-Abadi on US President Donald Trump's declarations about US bases in Iraq
The former Iraqi Prime Minister and Head of Al Nasr Coalition, Dr. Haider Al-Abadi, expresses his rejection of US President Donald Trump's statements, which were reported in the media yesterday as part of his interview with the US media channel CBS.
Talking about American bases and their use to confront neighboring countries is inconsistent with the Iraqi constitution and the agreements between Iraq and the United States, which were agreed in all stages of the American participation in the international coalition to fight ISIS, as Iraq was keen for the American participation to be within the international coalition forces in accordance with Iraqi sovereignty for the purposes of logistical support, intelligence and military training.
Speaking about US military bases in Iraq for the purposes of confrontation complicates the relationship with neighboring countries, exposes the relationship with the United States to unforeseen crises, and undermines the sovereignty and independence of Iraq.
We affirm that the American administration must review its position and reconsider these statements that destabilize the relationship between Baghdad and Washington and create an unjustified negative atmosphere, and we call on the Iraqi government to confirm our firm position that Iraqi lands may not be used against any neighboring country and from any party.
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March 16, 2019
Dr. Haider Al-Abadi: The Halabja crime is still a living witness to what Al Ba'ath did, which is the same approach of killing to the gangs of ISIS
Today, our people and the whole world recall with great pain one of the crimes of the exterminated dictatorial regime by committing the Halabja crime, in which thousands of innocent Iraqi Kurds were killed in a genocide with chemical weapons, the effects of which is still a living witness of what the buried Baath did to the people.
This crime represents a stain on the forehead of those who committed it, and what the criminal terrorist gangs of ISIS have done is an extension of the same approach of killing, and with the will of the Iraqis and their unity, we achieved victory and we will go together for the sake of our country. The time has come to achieve the goal of building the country, achieving the aspirations of our people and preventing any other threat.
Mercy for those who fell victims to Al Baath regime from north to south, and for our people in Halabja, our remembrance of it will only increase our unity, strength, and the advancement of the principle of justice and truth.
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March 23, 2019
Points from Dr. Al-Abadi's speech during the Second Arab-African Forum for Combating Terrorism and Extremism, held in Baghdad
-I reject and condemn the US decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Syrian Golan. The US decision violates justice and the UN decisions, and does harm stability in the region because it violates the rules of legitimacy.
-Remaining hotspots of conflict and tension in the region, or dealing with them out of the international legitimacy contexts, and populist decisions do not establish peace, as extremists and those with agendas will employ them to destabilize, spread extremism and spread terrorism under various headings.
-The region does not tolerate new waves of violence due to unjust policies, and international decision-making centers must shoulder their responsibilities to establish justice and coexistence in order to preserve the international peace and security.
-During our declaration of victory over ISIS, we affirmed that eradicating terrorism requires an integrated political, security, economic, cultural and media work to ensure the eradication of the roots of terrorism and its infrastructure, and that corruption and terrorism are from one womb, one produces the other.
-Injustice, quotas, sectarianism, chaos, and swallowing the state by groups are the natural incubators for the consolidation of extremism and terrorism, because they establish a societal political environment that is contradictory, conflicting, fragile and penetrating.
-After the victory, we prepared integrated reconstruction projects to start after the liberation of the cities, and the time has come to work on them. The country needs effective and active governance that fights corruption, chaos and the proliferation of weapons to ensure the proper building of the state.
-The task of confronting terrorism, which has become an international phenomenon, calls for cooperative and integrated international barriers to monitor thought, incubators, supply, and volunteering for extremist groups.
