Riyadh, May 15, (VOI) – Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari on Thursday said that Iraq will not be another Lebanon, stressing the need to fight militia groups and not allowing the establishment of a state within state.| Excellent, and very perceptive on his part given the region of the world he lives in. States-within-states don't have a glowing history of stability. |
The Iraqi government's recent battles against the Sadrist movement's Mahdi Army and other armed groups "highlights the government's persistence to prevent Iraq from turning into another Lebanon," the minister said, adding that arms and weapons should be exclusively possessed by government forces.
"The presence of Arab ambassadors in Iraq will provide Arab governments with a clear picture about what is happening," the minister said on the sidelines of his participation in the Arab Ministerial Meeting, held in the Egyptian capital today to address the volatile situation in Lebanon. "
We do not want to beg for visits by Arab officials to Iraq," the minister added, dismissing the convention of a new round of U.S.-Iranian talks on Iraq in the near future. "There are difference and problems obstructing the resumption of dialogue. We believe that such talks should take place in a positive atmosphere, which is not currently available," the minister added.