Iraq Press Roundup

The Iraqi Hezbollah Al Bayyna newspaper said Thursday political analysts and observers are focusing on meetings that will take place at the end of February in Baghdad between the Iraqi leadership and the United States.

With the headline "Baghdad-Washington agreement and the choices ahead," the editorial said the meetings will include discussions and agreements on sensitive issues.

"The Iraqi government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, affirmed that these agreements would enable Iraq to achieve the Iraqi people's interests economically and militarily, and see an improvement in the security situation and the political, cultural and diplomatic fields aiming to establish a positive relationship with the people of the United States," the paper said.

It added that al-Dabbagh emphasized that the Iraqi government "will not sign any agreement unless it brings the good and serves the interests of the Iraqi and American people and satisfies the Iraqi people's ambitions in rebuilding Iraq and gaining its independence."

"These issues have raised arguments in the Iraqi, regional and international political fields," the paper said.

The Basra-based newspaper said meetings between the two sides will include a discussion of the relationships of the Multi-National Forces and their presence in Iraq, the form of coordination between these forces and the Iraqi government, limits on the capacity of U.S. security forces, the position of the private security companies in addition to the most important issue: the International Trusteeship represented in Article (7) of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

"Iraqi leaders differed in these agreements as some saw them benefiting Iraq, opening doors to the Arab and international world and assisting Iraqis," it said.

The editorial added that other Iraqi leaders saw the agreements as giving the U.S. administration full freedom to stay in Iraq, and pave the path to foreign oil and investment companies to steal the wealth and potential of Iraq.

"It is a must that Iraqi leaders have to maintain a clear policy for the next stage taking into consideration the 'success' achieved in convincing public opinion to differentiate between the 'new Iraq' and the pre-2003 Iraq," the paper said.

It added that Saddam Hussein's policy that led to economic, political and intellectual deterioration was a key argument used by the new Iraqi government to convince its opponents to accept the agreements.

Al Bayyna said analysts and observers called for a support of the national project as a means to stability and security achievement.

It concluded that "agreements between the Iraqi and American side will not succeed unless preceded by dialogue among Iraqi politicians to determine the outlines for the next stage, otherwise more sectarian trenches would be created."