This blog post was published on May 5 2009. §
Not Ayatollah yet, how Al-Sadr’s visit to Turkey related to Iran’s nuclear file
Under the sectarian, equations don’t follow logic. Whatever has been said on Al-Sadr; his reckless imprudence and confusion but it is fair to say that the “independent”. Right or wrong, he works according to his own calculations.
Marc Lynch says that he failed to understand Al-Sadr and Mark is not alone in this, even his Lebanese family member Hassan Nasrallah once said: We are tired of Muqtada.
The Saudis Elaph news site reported that Sadr move is blessed by Tehran and Washington and as far as today’s report on Assafir, even Maliki was supportive saying:
Why not .. What wrong? Al-Sadr can visit Turkey.
But for sure this visit is to do with National reconciliation as reported on Al-Akhbar, adding that the U.S. is behind this initiative, which was very clear from the first words the Turks told Al-Sadr saying:
Turkish politicians told Muqtada Al-Sadr that he can play a very constructive role in Iraq’s political process. And that is something continuously repeated by the Americans.
Fahdil Al-Rubai gives us more details (through his own sources) about what is going on:
We must note that this meeting came in the context of a series of previous meetings and visits made by the Iraqi parties to Ankara.
Perhaps the most important are the meetings with the Islamic Party led by Tariq al-Hashemi (Vice President), Sheikh Harith al-Dari, Secretary General of the Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq and, more recently, with a delegation from the leadership of the Iraqi Baath Party (Al-Duri wing).
But what are Ankara’s goals from meeting Al-Sadr?
- Washington and Ankara are aware of that national reconciliation must include all Iraqis.
The visit was arranged with Tehran to discuss the reconciliation process, and before the visit Iran leaked information about its veto to any reconciliation with the Ba’ath Party.Despite Ankara knows in advance that the Sadrists position will mirror the Iranian position, Turkey wants to reduce the size of the reconciliation objections expressed by the Sadrists, especially with the Baath Party.
- Turkey expressed its willingness to facilitate the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq through the Turkish territory, in order to prepare the ground for a regional reconciliation, which is the most prominent issue.
Ankara is faced with two troubles: 1) Al-Sadr Trend does not have a clear vision or an explicit position from the reconciliation, apart from the rejection of the return of the Baath party. 2) Baath Party issues different messages, at one side the Party announce its rejection to any reconciliation talks with Maliki, at the other side the Party involved in recent secret negotiations with the Iraqi government.
The Baath Party even asked Turkey to arrange a secret visit to Iran to meet with Al-Sadr.
- After all this, it is logical that Ankara to ask Tehran to assist in arranging the meeting with Sadr to discuss the question of direct involvement in a regional conference hosted by Turkey, to bridge the gap in views with the Baath.
Some bad reporting here: Iraq: Radical cleric becomes ‘ayatollah’ circulated by the Saudi funded media.
More evidence on my argument, came from Al-Sadr himself. Yesterday he released an article on the Sadrists media website “Sadronline” without being addressed himself with a title.
Satisfied with Mr. Al-Sadr, he listed few points answer the question of Why he chose Turkey for the Sadrists conference:
- Turkey’s significant active role of supporting Islam, as well as Turkey’s recent position in war against the Palestinian people in Gaza and neutral position supporting the Iraqi people.
- This conference has given the clear impression that the Sadrists are able to advance the Arabs and Iraqi Islamic role general.
- The organizational style of the Conference had given a clear message to all those who claim that the Sadr trend current system does not work according to programs and pre-studied plans.
- The coherence and the unity between the operators and the participants in the conference is a clear indication to suggest that the Sadr Trend: (cooperation produces success) and (disintegration produces disaster).
- What happened at the conference, and the consultation process has produced results and of ideas and led to the development and integration of those ideas in particular, especially under the academic and religious elite from within and outside Iraq.
- The three days of the Conference, shows is bound to the Sadrists current general view of the of all the key aspects of life, religious, ideological, intellectual, media and the political, social, administrative and jihad and many others.
- My personal presence, gave me hope and optimism for the bright future of the effective leadership.
- After claims made by the occupation that the Sadrists Movement is fragmented and dismantled, the conference gave them the clear answer that there is no room for demolition and the Sadrists are united.