The Revolution and pacts (10), 'Ignoring Iraq's interests'. In its Arabic Press Corner, The Egyptian Gazette of February 12, 1955 published a report headlined: “Nury does not think of Iraq's interests”. The report said: “The Turco-Iraqi pact, Nury el-Said's foreign policy and the Arab Premiers Conference are still the subject of editorial comment by the Arabic dailies and weeklies. “Writing critically on Nury el-Said's (Iraqi Prime Minister) policy, the weekly magazine Rose el-Youssef yesterday said: “Isn't it surprising that Nury el-Said is thinking of protecting his country against the communists while British troops still occupy parts of the Iraqi territory? The Anglo-Iraqi Treaty has neither been amended nor abrogated; British troops are still in Iraq; and no arrangement has been reached concerning the evacuation of foreign troops from Iraq. “Why doesn't Nury el-Said then rely on the British to defend his country? They are certainly much stronger than the Turks. If he is truly worried about the security of his country and is anxious to safeguard its national interests and rights, why doesn't he endeavour to rid his country of foreign occupation forces before thinking of other means of protecting his country against communism? “Nury El-Said does not think of his country's interests; nor has he drawn up a new foreign policy. He is adopting a policy which has been drawn up for him and has attempted unsuccessfully to impose that foreign policy on other Arab states. “The Iraqi Prime Minister wanted to give the Arab states the impression that their League would be shaken if they objected to the Turco-Iraqi pact. He does not believe that Arab governments are influenced by their peoples; he does not appreciate the necessity of observing the will of the Arab world. For instance, he does not believe that the Syrian government cannot deviate from the policy approved by the Syrians; that the government of the Lebanon is forced to observe the will of the Lebanese; and that the Government of Egypt has to observe the principles and objectives of the Revolution. The Iraqi Prime Minister is bound to realise that there is another Arab League which is much stronger than the Arab League proper: the league of the Arab peoples. “Nury el-Said's policy is a flagrant violation of the Arab League Charter and the Arab Collective Security Pact. Not only that; he also ridicules the power of the Arab peoples, describes them as conceited and asks them to ensure their security by acceding to Western military pacts…. When we say that Nury el-Said is attempting to destroy the Arab League, we do not hurl accusations at him without evidence. “Article Two of the Arab League Charter emphasises that fostering co-operative relations among the Arab states, and unifying their political plans are the main objective of the Arab League; and according to Article II of the Arab Collective Security Pact, the Arab states-as a whole ��" shoulder the responsibility of defending any Arab state against an attack. Consequently, no Arab state should conclude any bilateral defence agreement without consulting her sister states. “We may also refer Nury el-Said to Article XX of the Collective Security Pact which clearly says that no Arab government should conclude any bilateral or international agreement which contradicts the provisions and purposes of the Arab Collective Security Pact.” “Nury el-Said says that Iraq is an independent country, and we would like to tell him that, because we keenly safeguard our independence, we have refused to conclude military pacts with Turkey, Iran, the United Kingdom, the United States and Pakistan; and that because we believe that the Arab nations are menaced by international Zionism, we have refused to establish any direct or indirect relations with Israel.” [email protected]
