Iraqi President warns against complacency in the fight against terrorism

Iraq 02:03 PM - 2021-09-24

International cooperation and solidarity are the only way to combat terrorism, Iraqi President Barham Salih said in his speech to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, warning against complacency.

He said over the past 40 years alone, Iraq has suffered wars, embargoes, tyranny, genocidal campaigns, as well as “the grip of terrorism over our cities.”

Today, the country is working to rebuild areas liberated from the extremist group ISIL, also known as Daesh, and to ensure that displaced people can return home.

Remain vigilant

President Salih told world leaders the danger terrorism poses cannot be understated.

“If we become lax and distracted by regional conflicts, we will simply see the return of obscurantist forces that will threaten our peoples and our security,” he said, speaking through an interpreter.

“Cooperation and solidarity are our only choice in our fight against international terrorism and the groups which support it. We have to fight against its funding, deal with its dangerous effects, and provide reparation to its victims, ensuring that these tragic sufferings are not repeated.”

Rebuilding after terrorism

Relatedly, Iraq has adopted a law to assist Yazidi survivors of ISIL atrocities, which included mass executions, forced conversions and sexual violence targeting thousands of Yazidi women and girls.  

The law also covers women from other minority groups.

Mr. Salih reported great progress in rebuilding regions “freed from the yoke of terrorism”, but said his country hopes to benefit from international support.

“We must respond to the urgent humanitarian needs and promote the capacity for rebuilding the infrastructure in the country so that our citizens will be able to once again find a dignified and normal life.”

‘National battle’ against corruption 

Meanwhile, the President noted that corruption is another threat to security and stability, both worldwide and in Iraq.  

“Our country is facing corruption because of the heavy burden left behind by wars and conflicts that have squandered a huge part of the resources of the country, thus depriving Iraqis of the riches of their land,” he said.

Describing the fight against corruption as “a genuine national battle”, Mr. Salih reported that his Government is working on draft legislation to recover stolen assets.

“The situation of the country will not normalize unless we manage to beat corruption,” he stated.

“This fight means we must limit the sources of corruption and block their various forms of access. We must ensure that funds are restored that have been plundered or trafficked, a great part of which are used to perpetuate violence and chaos in the country.  We have no other choice than that of victory.”

The President urged countries to help Iraq find these assets.  He also called for an international alliance to fight corruption, similar to the one to combat terrorism globally.

The text of President Salih's speech follows:

In the name of Allah most gracious, most merciful
Mr. President,
We congratulate you on appointing you as the new head of the UN General Assembly and wish you would have every success in your tasks.

Your Majesties, Excellences and Highnesses,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon all of you.

I address the General Assembly today as a representative of my country, that is a founding member of the United Nations, and as representative of my people who have deep history and rich culture of the Ancient civilizations, and its history roots back to Ur, Sumer, Babylonia and Assyria which are the most ancient world civilizations.

We are meeting here today, in the time we still face the health challenges presented by the spread of COVID- 19, and there are grave challenges requiring serious solutions that are still ahead of us, where these are dealing with the issues of violence and terrorism, how to address sustainable development challenges, especially climate change.

These challenges reaffirm that the United Nations and international organizations have a key role to play in coordinating positions to meet the challenges. The time has come to face the threat together, and our meeting this year is an opportunity to cooperate and agree on a road map for the future.

In Iraq, the Government has taken many of the necessary health measures to control the spread of coronavirus outbreak, despite our limited healthcare resources, and our weak healthcare infrastructure, which have suffered extensive destruction as a result of the wars that the country has experienced in past periods. We have managed to increase the capacity of government institutions to provide treatment and prevention services, and Iraq was one of the first countries to join the COVAX initiative to ensure equitable global access to vaccines against COVID-19, to provide vaccines to our citizens and foreign residents.

On this occasion, we express our deep appreciation as the Government and people to the international organizations, in particular the World Health Organization(WHO), for their efforts in supporting Iraq to address this pandemic.

Mr. President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Iraq is burdened by the legacy of over forty years of wars, conflict, sanctions and terrorism. These included, economic embargo, the oppression of the people, genocidal and Anfal campaigns, mass graves, Halabja chemical attack, draining of Marshes and the criminal acts and attacks committed by the terrorists.

 We have managed to respond to these terrifying tragedies. We successfully defeated terrorism and liberated our cities, and did so through the power of our popular will, the sacrifices of the Army, the Popular Mobilization Forces, and the Peshmerga, and with the support of the international coalition and our neighbors, and with the key role played by Ayatollah Systani (the Grand Ayatollah (the Marji in Najaf)) in Iraq who has come out with a very powerful statement to fight against the terror.

Our Armed Forces are firmly continuing their military operations to eliminate the remaining cells of terrorists that try to threaten the security in Iraq, the region and the world as well. The threat of the terror can't be underestimated or be ignored, and there should be no compromise in the fight against terrorism, and there is no doubt, that the cycle of the armed conflicts in the region will allow the insurgents of the backward groups to regroup themselves again and then to threaten the lives of the people and undermine stability in the region and in the world as well.

It is therefore, we have no choice but to cooperate and pool our efforts and our positions together to tackle the phenomenon of international terrorism, its supportive groups and cut off the sources of its financing and address its serious implications and redress for victims, and ensure that these terrible tragedies will not allow to be occur again.

In this context, I would like to mention that Iraq has passed Yazidi Female Survivors Law to redress for Every woman or a girl that is subjected to the most heinous crimes committed by the extremist groups known as the Islamic State, IS. The Law is extended to cover other Women and girls from all Iraqi components.

Our duty is now to rebuild our liberated cities and return displaced persons to their homes. We have made progress but we look forward to further support from the international community to reconstruct of the liberated areas and to respond to emergency humanitarian needs and to strengthen the capacity of the State to rebuild the country's infrastructure thereby contributing to bring the life to the normality so our citizens could live a life of dignify.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Corruption also threatens the security and stability of the entire world. It fuels violence and terrorism. Our country is facing the phenomenon of corruption due to the legacy of war, armed conflicts and violence. Corruption has squandered our country's wealth, and it robbed Iraqis of the fruits of their country's resources.

The fight against corruption is therefore a national battle for Iraq today. If corruption has been rooted out in Iraq, our country's situation will be addressed. This battle is based on rooting out the sources of corruption and addressing flaws in the financial management system. We have to recover the looted funds that have been stolen from the State, and taken abroad, and these are used to sustain violence and turmoil in the country. We have no choice but to win this battle.

Iraq is strongly committed to fighting corruption so it has acceded to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption in 2000 and to Arabic Convention for Combating Corruption in 2010.  Iraq takes measures to adopt" Corrupt Funds Recovery Act" to recover the looted funds. To this end, the Government has organized a conference that aims to coordinate efforts and recover the stolen money.

I call upon all friends in the international community to help us to detect and recover stolen funds that have been stolen from the State, and taken abroad. It would be a crucial step to curb corruption. We call again for formation of an international coalition, similar to the international coalition against terrorism, to stamp out corruption and recover the looted funds. We can't eliminate terrorism unless we root out corruption as it is political economy of violence. Corruption and terrorism are connected and interdependent – one benefits the other. 

Our planet faces an existential threat that is extreme climatic change that threatens the future of our generations to come. We may disagree in terms of politics but we have to work together to tackle the climate changes threatening the World as a whole.

Our country, Iraq, is experiencing difficult climatic conditions of desertification and scarcity of water resources that have made the country the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the report of the United Nations Environment Programme’s sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO-6) for Western Asia.

Iraq has acceded to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992 (UNFCCC) and to the Paris Convention in 2015. Iraq works to adopt a global strategy that aims to protect the environment and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Iraq takes part in Intended Nationally Determined Contributions(INDC) to guide into the economic transformation and to establish the concepts of green economy, thereby attracting investments in Iraq, and there will be a greater participation by the private sector in the field of tackling climate change in Iraq.

We have to rehabilitate Mesopotamia. This area of the land was called Eard al-Sawad (Green Land), Jinnat Aden for its very green land and its fertile soil, and its geographical location that is located in the heart of the region, and its environmental diversity such as Palm Trees, Marshes and the Kurdistan Mountains, makes it to have a potential to serve as a point of cooperation and inclusion for the Middle East to find solutions for the environment. To do so, international support in its various areas should be provided to support Iraq's efforts and to enable the country to implement these national policies and strategies.

The climate change crisis doesn't distinguish between one country and another. The challenge is a global one, and it requires a global response, and the temptation shouldn't be to look inward, and to leave each country to fend for itself. Therefore, if any country wants to protect itself from climate change, it should find a way to work with its neighbours and the states of the region and the World. Sandstorms, water scarcity, rising temperature and desertification are cross-border threats that will only be addressed through high-level international coordination and planning that support the national, regional and international plans.

Iraq is located at the heart of the Middle East, which has suffered and is still suffering from the wars and conflicts due to the collapse of its security order and its political system since at least 40 years ago. The absence of the role of Iraq in the region was one of the reasons to create regional instability.

Iraq has adopted a balanced policy based on supporting dialogue, easing tensions and building the grounds based on common interest and needs. We stress the need for a new order based on cooperation and economic interdependence among the States of the region, and this included the support of the international community. It should address the common challenges presented by the terrorism and extremism, fluctuations of economic conditions and the lack of capacity to provide job for the growing numbers of young people, the grave implications of the climate change.

In view of that, the Iraqi Government hosted Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership to affirm that Iraq that was a theatre of the conflict, would be in the near future, a point of cooperation and inclusion, rather than division, for all regional and international states. Peace and stability will not be realized in the region without a secure stable and sovereign Iraq. However, regional and international support is required to reject any steps by any country to settle scores on Iraq's soil.

We also emphasize that the continuation of the Syrian crisis and its dire humanitarian consequences for the Syrian people are unacceptable and unsustainable. Some remaining cells of the terrorist groups take advantage of this crisis, and try to threaten our country and the region as well. The time has now come to take serious action to put an end to the Syrian people's sufferings. Syrians' right to live peacefully and freely should be respected and guaranteed, while the hotbeds of terrorism should be eliminated there.

Iraq stresses the importance of solving the Palestinian issue and fulfilling the rights of the Palestinian people in an independent state and finding a comprehensive, just and lasting solution. This will also help to stabilize the region and the world.

The continuation of the war in Yemen and its security and humanitarian repercussions are a source of concern that call for a solution that will bring security and peace to its citizens and to the States of the region.

In the coming month, Iraq is heading towards critical and important entitlement which is to hold an early election following popular protests and a broad national consensus demanding drastic reforms and new political and social contract that addresses the flaws in the governance system and guarantees good governance. Therefore, this election is essential to democratic self-determination and it will have an effect on Iraq and the region as well.

These elections are taking place while huge crowds of the Iraqi pilgrims take part in Arbaeen walk, and move towards the holy city of Karbala where the shrine of the Imam Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon them). The events of Karbala reflect the most noble human values that urge to make reforms, promote peace, reject injustice and tyranny and call upon people to live a life of freedom and dignity. Therefore, the Iraqi strongly hope that they maintain peace and security in the country and move forwards in making reforms, curbing corruption and exercising their right to live a life of freedom and dignity.

To do so, restoring voter confidence in local ballots in addition to motivating higher voter turnout is our top priority. New electoral law that is more fair has been passed, and a new electoral commission was established, which provides all the necessary needs to conduct the polls. "Electoral Code of Conduct" for political parties was signed to ensure the success of the forthcoming elections and to be a path of peaceful democratic transition with sweeping reforms through Parliament and Government that are based on the will of the Iraqis. Meanwhile, shortcomings of the political process and lack of confidence in the previous elections caused the political tension in the country. 

 In this regard, I thank those States that contributed to support the resolution 2576, adopted by the Security Council at its meeting to support the electoral process in Iraq. I appreciate the Secretariat of the United Nations and the European Union for their role in sending of the EU Electoral Observation Mission to observe the legislative elections scheduled in Iraq for 10 October in order to ensure the highest standards of transparency, and I also express my thanks to the UNAMI for its efforts in supporting electoral process in Iraq.

My Dears,

Iraq is a living example of diversity and for the human coexistence that is deep-seated in history, and our people feel the power of diversity and coexistence that are firmly embedded in its roots. Iraqis realize that if the respect for diversity is considered as standard of the nation's culture, the nations will be strengthened.
So to conclude, I would like to say, we are partners in managing life on this planet, as we are sharing our aspirations, our concerns and our human values. We need to feel and stand together to stop environmental degradation and to avoid wars and conflicts. Responding to that is the best gift that we can give to the generations to come.

Thank you, Mr. President,
Peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon all of you.

 

 

PUKmedia / Iraqi President