An outpouring of frustration and mistrust with Saudi Arabia contrasts with sunny vistas in Egypt, writes Salah Hemeid Iraqi-Saudi ties took a dive this week as top officials in the two Arab countries blamed each other for the stalemate in efforts to restore normal relations, frozen since the 2003 US invasion that toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein. On Thursday Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki lambasted the kingdom saying his government's efforts to build diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia had not been reciprocated and more would be "useless" without a change of heart from Riyadh. "We rushed to create not just a normal but positive relation [with the Saudis], but the initiative was mistakenly understood as a weakness," he said in response to a question sent by a local news agency through his government's web-page. In his unusually high-pitched remarks, Al-Maliki noted that Iraq has succeeded in opening up to its Arab neighbours, but blamed the failure of restoring normal relations with Riyadh to what he billed as Saudi Arabia's "negative positions". "We continue to be ready for any Saudi initiative, but we have used up initiatives from our side and it would be useless to repeat them unless Saudi Arabia has a clear intention to [improve] these relations," Al-Maliki emphasised. It is not clear why Al-Maliki vented his frustration with Saudi Arabia now, but to understand why it is important to know that Iraq has tried to repair ties with other Arab countries damaged because of the American invasion and suspicions that the Shia-led government which has succeeded Saddam's Sunni regime might be closer to Persian-Shia Iran, the Sunni Arabs' arch enemy. Now the country enjoys better relations with Egypt, Jordan, Syria and many Gulf states, but efforts to normalise relations with Saudi Arabia remain deadlocked. Saudi officials haven't explained why they have given Al-Maliki's repeated attempts at normalisation a cold shoulder, but it is evident that the kingdom remains deeply suspicious of Al-Maliki's Shia-led government. Over the past three years Al-Maliki has been trying to play down his Shia government's roots and emphasise its national credentials. Al-Maliki had abandoned an overtly sectarian discourse and started reaching out to Sunni Arabs, forging ties with their groups in parliament and local governments. He also tried to crack down on Shia militants to show that he deals even-handedly with all militias working in defiance of the state. Part of Al-Maliki's reconciliatory effort was also meant to alleviate fears of Arab Sunni neighbours of Shia attempts to marginalise Iraqi Sunnis. The Iraqi leader is clearly angry that some Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia, are still unprepared to reciprocate. Iraq reopened its embassy in Riyadh in February 2007 and in March it sent its first ambassador to the kingdom since 1991 when the two countries severed diplomatic ties after Saddam's invasion of Kuwait. But Saudi Arabia is still reluctant to send its diplomats back to Baghdad and refused to respond to repeated Iraqi requests to write off Iraq's debt to it, which the Saudis estimate at $40 billion, but which Iraq says is only $15 billion. Indeed, what lies at the heart of the tension is that Saudi Arabia, which sees itself as the leader of Sunni Islam, is deeply suspicious of Iraq's Shia-led government, which it sees as being under the influence of Iran. Saudi Arabia is nonplused by Al-Maliki's sudden burst of criticism. Its powerful Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdel-Aziz immediately rejected Al-Maliki's claims. In remarks published on Saturday by Saudi newspapers, Prince Nayef, who is also second deputy prime minister, said the kingdom wants only what is in Iraq's best interests. "The kingdom only wants what is good for Iraq and its stability but if there are some [people] who work against the interests of Iraq and want the kingdom to stand with them, this will never happen," Prince Nayef who is also number three in the Saudi royal hierarchy said. "The kingdom does what is in the best interest of Iraq and its people and the return of Iraq to its unity and sovereignty," he added. He urged Iraq to improve border security to prevent the infiltration of Iraqis into Saudi Arabia. However, what Prince Nayef refrained to say was strongly articulated by leading columnists in the Saudi owned newspapers. "It is very unlikely that Mr Al-Maliki wants to achieve what his recent statement called for, namely the improvement of Saudi-Iraqi relations, as this is something that will be achieved by wisdom, political action, and hard work, not by inflammatory and threatening statements," wrote Tariq Al-Homayed, editor of Asharq Al-Awsat. "Al-Maliki's problem is with regards to having a good understanding of politics, and the region around him. Iraq's neighbours, and specifically the Arabs who are keen for moderation and stability, and who long suffered under the previous regime, will not bow down to a new lesser Saddam," he wrote. In another sign of deterioration of Iraq's relations with its neighbours, Kuwait has urged the UN to avoid lifting sanctions on Iraq before the Iraqi government settles all outstanding issues resulting from its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. "We understand the Iraqi desire to exit from Chapter VII," Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry under-secretary Khaled Al-Jarallah said on Thursday. "But there are obligations [on Iraq] and outstanding issues that are illogical to be left unresolved," he added. According to Kuwait, the outstanding issues include the fate of the missing and prisoners of war, payment of war reparations, the return of stolen property and the demarcation of land and maritime borders between the two neighbours. Under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, Iraq's assets in world banks have been frozen "to pay compensation to Kuwait" for Iraq's invasion of the country in 1991. Iraq has repeatedly asked the UN Security Council not to treat the country under Chapter VII which it considers a violation of its sovereignty. The Kuwaiti move was immediately rebuffed by Iraqi officials and lawmakers. "This is a wrong and irrational step which entails bad intentions towards Iraq and the Iraqi people," said Minister of National Dialogue Akram Al-Hakim. "Kuwait should not count on foreign support to expand on the interest of others," he said in a statement, a copy of which was sent to Al-Ahram Weekly. Some Iraqi legislators even demanded that Iraq should stop paying war reparations and force Kuwait to pay compensation to Iraq for allowing the American troops to invade Iraq. But it is not all bad news for Iraq. Egypt has been making headway in restoring full diplomatic relations and military and economic cooperation with Iraq. Cairo said this week that it is offering to help rebuild Iraq's armed forces to end instability in the beleaguered country. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit made the offer to the visiting Iraqi Defence Minister Abdel-Qader Al-Obeidi at a meeting on Sunday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said Egypt is ready to help Iraq "in confronting challenges and ending instability for good." During a three-day visit that ended Wednesday Al-Obeidi was received by President Hosni Mubarak and met with his Egyptian counterpart Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who assured him that Egypt will help to improve the capabilities of the Iraqi fledgling army. General Mohamed Al-Askari, a senior advisor to Al-Obeidi told the Weekly that Egyptian officials offered "all kinds of political and technical support to Iraq." "It was an excellent visit," he said, adding that "I am confident it will be a new dawn for Iraqi-Arab relations."
