The resistance is the only legitimate force in occupied Iraq, writes Moussa Al-Husseini* It has been a year since the secretary-general of the Iraqi National Front for the Liberation of Iraq was kidnapped by the occupying forces and kept in detention. Why was Abdul- Jabbar Al-Kubeisi taken prisoner? There are many patriots who make no secret of their animosity to occupation and yet they have not suffered the same fate. Why did the occupation forces single out Al-Kubeisi? The answer is simple. He was among the first patriots to translate the desire to rid the country of occupation into action, into a daily commitment that took precedent over all other considerations. Following are the basic principles of the National Front for the Liberation of Iraq which he helped draft and to which he remained committed. First, no sovereignty and no will in Iraq can override the sovereignty and will of the people. It is no secret that the occupation, under various pretexts, is seeking to abolish our sovereignty. The occupation is promoting its own interests regardless of what Iraqis want. The occupation seeks to repress or silence any popular manifestation of a will that conflicts with its own interests. The occupation allows us only those rights that coincide with its own interests. History records no instance of an occupier voluntarily leaving the land it has occupied. The occupier, together with local stooges, continues to refuse to offer even the most superficial independence. From the ruse of elections to the charade of the constitution the occupation is pursuing its own interests. Laws are passed that promote its objectives while pretending otherwise. There is no independent country, big or small -- the US is no exception -- that would allow a foreign ambassador to take part in the debate on its constitution, that would allow a foreign ambassador to attend a meeting of the so-called National Assembly to approve the extension of the drafting period by seven days beyond a deadline that was itself set by the occupation. In upholding pan-Arab principles we know that we must safeguard our democracy. The pan-Arab movement aspires to embody the nation. We seek, therefore, to create a political framework that allows the nation to dictate its own future. No one can claim to speak on behalf of the nation except the sons of the nation, through their own representatives. We are the true supporters of democracy, unlike those who take their orders from Paul Bremer and Zelmay Khalilzad. These are the principles on which the Iraqi National Front for the Liberation of Iraq was created. These principles angered the occupiers enough for them to detain our comrade Al-Kubeisi. It is in our commitment to these principles that we remember not only our comrade but all the heroes of Iraq, members of the resistance that has given the enemy a taste of its own medicine and dragged its hegemony through the mud. We remember the martyrs and the prisoners. Our main battle is with the occupation and with all those steps that have come about as a result of the occupation, the decisions and resolutions made at the behest of the occupiers. The constitution is a charade forced on Iraq by the occupation as it seeks to weaken Iraq and undermine its role in the Arab arena and in Palestine. We reject this charade. There have been calls from abroad -- made by people said to be affiliated to patriotic forces -- for a national government to be formed in order to negotiate with the resistance. But what government can call itself national that has come to power with the help and approval of the occupiers? This is just a ploy to divide and fragment the resistance. Those who make such calls are people who cooperated with and applauded the occupation, men who worked for the so-called Iraqi National Congress of Ahmed Chalabi and the agents of international Zionism who are known to support sectarian claims and pro-Zionist projects, the creation of tourist and religious projects and other services. Such people have no right to pose as nationalists. National resistance is the only source of legitimacy in Iraq. We accept no substitute for this resistance, nor will we be taken in by the ploys of the occupiers. There is no alternative to the unconditional withdrawal of the occupiers. There can be no negotiations and no compromise on this. All the legal, military and political consequences of the occupation must be abrogated. State institutions must be re- organised in line with Iraq's national interests and security. The formation of a national government, now or in the future, is a matter for the resistance, with all its components, to decide. It is not the prerogative of opportunists and impostors. Our quarrel with the occupation is not about who rules or how. We reject occupation under any circumstance and under any government. Those who aggressed should compensate Iraq for the losses incurred in the course of the aggression. We will not accept any mediation by international organisations, the UN and the Arab League included, unless this mediation is based on unconditional withdrawal and compensation for Iraq. * The writer is secretary-general of the National Democratic Party of Iraq.
