Dina Ezzat speaks to the new Arab envoy to Iraq on the challenges and aspirations of his new mission is the newly appointed Arab League head of diplomatic mission in Baghdad. He arrived to the Iraqi capital Tuesday, four days after the official announcement of his new position, for a reconnaissance mission of 72 hours during which he officially takes office, meets with senior Iraqi officials and sees first-hand the current political map in Iraq to help him draw a plan of action for what should be a four-year appointment. "Iraq and Iraqis deserve much better than what they have now, and Arabs wish to help. This is basically what I am here for," Khallaf told Al-Ahram Weekly in a telephone interview hours after his high-security arrival to Baghdad International Airport. Khallaf was impressed by what he qualified as "a warm and indicative welcome from the Iraqi government". For Khallaf, the kind of reception that was afforded to him speaks to a genuine wish on the part of the Iraqi government to work closely towards the improvement of Baghdad's relations with the rest of the Arab world, he said. It also shows, he added, that the decision of the Arab League, "as representing the collective will of the Arab member states", to delegate him was well timed. "To my mind Baghdad is always a prominent Arab capital with enormous contributions through history. Now we [in the Arab world] want Baghdad to regain this status and we want to do what we can [towards this]," Khallaf said. He added that much hard work lies ahead, for him and the whole of the Arab world, in reaching out to Baghdad, "but there is real determination on the Arab side" to see this mission accomplished. Khallaf is an Egyptian career diplomat. Before assuming his Arab League responsibility he served as assistant foreign minister for Arab affairs. As such, he is no stranger to the many complications involved in the Iraqi file. He is well aware of the harsh security challenges -- challenges that lost another Egyptian diplomat, Ihab El-Sherif, his life in 2005 when he was serving as head of Egyptian mission in the Iraqi capital. Khallaf is also aware of the bitter inter-Iraqi animosities. Above all, he is cognizant of the international and regional interests vested in this oil rich Arab country. "There are so many internal and external factors that I will have to work with. My mission, I understand, is not just about building channels with all Iraqi [groups] but of course to work closely and [hopefully] constructively with all those who could influence developments in Iraq," he said. Through building bridges with Iraqis and influential neighbours and players, Khallaf hopes that the Arab League will be in a position to give a push to its ambitious plan for Iraqi reconciliation that was launched in 2005 with a visit of Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa to Iraq and an Arab League hosted conference for Iraqi political leaders. "Iraqi reconciliation is a top priority for Iraqis as much as for Arabs," Khallaf said. "We will explore what it will take now to re-launch the reconciliation efforts. We can build on what we already did but we are aware that we will have to adopt new parameters that take into account the new political realities in Iraq. 2008 is not 2005 and we know this," he added. The new Arab League approach towards Iraqi reconciliation, according to its new chief of mission in Baghdad, will not be strictly political but will also accommodate social and economic factors and concerns. Another priority for his mission, Khallaf suggested, is to keep Iraq attached to its Arab ties. "This is very important. Several Arab countries already have a diplomatic presence in the Iraqi capital. Now the Arab League mission [which has been functioning since 2005] will be upgrading its presence and we hope that this will encourage a firmer Arab rapport with Iraq," he explained. Less than half of Arab League member states keep some sort of diplomatic presence in Iraq due to the inhospitable security conditions in Baghdad and Iraq more broadly. The kidnapping and probable slaying of El-Sherif, and subsequent attacks on other Arab diplomats during the past few years, have dissuaded most Arab governments from maintaining any serious diplomatic representation in Baghdad, despite US pressure and Iraqi government appeals. Khallaf is not denying these security hazards, but he is playing them down. "Security control is now much, much better than what it used to be a couple of years ago, [or even last year]," he said. Security concerns and a lack of Arab interest in promoting relations with Iraq were deemed by Moroccan diplomat Mukhtar Lamani as reasons behind his resignation early last year from the post that Khallaf is now assuming. Lamani, who spent all of 2006 as head of the Arab League mission in Iraq, found upon his resignation that there was no "profound and effective political will on the part of Arab countries" to support the declared wish to help Iraqis out. During his 2006 mission, Lamani told the Weekly in interview in February 2007 he felt that "there was no interest in Iraq or what the Arab League mission was trying to do there. Simply none." On Tuesday, speaking from his Baghdad office, Khallaf affirmed that he is "not at all worried" by the experience of Lamani. "The situation is now different -- in more ways than one," he said without elaborating. Arabs, diplomatic sources agree, feel more and more cut off from Iraq, to the point that some Arab diplomats now acknowledge that, "Iraq is lost to Iran for many years to come." In the Arab League, there are no illusions that Khallaf's mission is designed to counter-balance a strong pro-Iranian Shia influence in Iraq. According to Khallaf, the mission may entice key Arab players to invest more capital in the war-torn country. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari welcomed the assignment of Khallaf to Baghdad, according to Hesham Youssef, chief of staff of the Arab League's secretary-general. And Khallaf, Youssef added in press statement, will ably promote Arab League efforts "to support Iraq and solidify Arab presence and relations with all shades of the Iraqi people".
