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09.06.2008

ANTI-IRANIAN MOODS IN ARABIC CIRCLES

   

Araks Pashayan

The Summit of the League of Arabic States (LAS) held on March 29-30, 2008 once again revealed contradictions between Iran and the Arabic World. The leading Arabic countries (in particular Saudi Arabia, the countries of Persian Gulf, Egypt, Jordan), which were to some extent taking American interests into consideration, are concerned with the fact of Iran’s active intervention in Arabic politics.

Anti-Iranian tendency is not new in the Arabic World and is conditioned by political and religious factors. Iran is one of the exclusive Islamic states which has majority if Shiite population, whereas the main part of population of Arabic countries and the Islamic World on the whole profess Sunnism.

The differences of these two branches are displayed in religious practice, political culture, traditions, customs, as well as theology and the contradictions revealed still in the early stage of Islam’s history.

Activation of Shiite factor in international relations is directly connected with Iran’s foreign policy. Teheran aspires at dominating not only in the Shiite world, but also in the region, which has come to be proved by Iran’s policy in Iraq and Lebanon. In the Sunni world such pretensions has Saudi Arabia – Islam’s motherland, the foreign policy orientation of which considerably differs from the one of Iran.

Tenseness in the relations of Persian Gulf countries, especially Saudi Arabia and Iran, were observed still at the Cold War period. At the end of 1960s, when the British government declared about his intention of withdrawing his troops from the region in 1971, the vacuum was aspired to be filled by Iran, for which the Gulf policy was of great strategic importance. In 1967, according to the decision of Iranian Government, Bahrain became the 14th province of Iran. In 1971 the Iranian troops invaded three islands belonging to the United Arabic Emirates and situated in the waters of Persian Gulf – Abu Musa, Big and Small Tombs, Iran was always pretending to. In that way, Iran assumed the control of the Hormuz Strait.

The islands’ takeover resulted negative resonance in the Arabic World. Iraq, with majority of Shiite population (60%), which was aspiring at suppressing Iran’s advancement and having its own influence in Middle East, broke of all the diplomatic relations with Iran. It is noteworthy that in the communiqué adopted at the LAS summit held not long ago in Damascus is stated the issue of those islands. At the meeting the LAS secretary general Amir Musa warned Iran that if the Islands weren’t returned, than they would have to turn to the Hague International Tribunal.

The Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 resulted a new wave of tension. The Arabic states of Persian Gulf, in particularly Iraq, feared of the “Islamic revolution export” policy carried out by Teheran. Ideological discords ultimately brought to a wide-scale war between Iran and Iraq (1980-1988), during which the Gulf countries supported Iraq, and Syria supported Iran.

In 1981, by the initiative of Saudi Arabia was formed the Cooperation Council for the Arabic State of the Persian Gulf, which involved 6 of the Gulf States (except Iran and Iraq) and which still hasn’t managed to work out a joint system of security, partially because of Iran’s resistance. Iran aspires at participating in the joint security system formation and setting up of multilateral cooperation with the region states.

Considerable changes were affected in Iran’s (including Arabic) foreign policy after the Islamic Revolution. Iran announced about its assistance to Arabic, and particularly Palestinian problems. Anti-Israeli rhetoric furthered strengthening of Iran’s position in Middle East. Under direct participation and patronage of Iran was founded the Lebanese movement “Hezbollah” – one of the most important supports of Iran in the region. Israel’s war against Lebanon in 2006 was directed against destruction of Hesbollah’s military base stations, which revealed that in case of possible conflict with the US and Israel, Iran may have an advantage. During the war the Shura Council members of the Saudi Arabia, sheikh Al-Obikan, announced that from shariat’s standpoints Hezbollah’s activity is illegal, and the structure has no right to call for Jihad.

The western countries see direct threat in Iran’s foreign policy. They not only once criticized the Iranian nuclear program, as it upsets the balance of powers in the region. In 2007 Arabic separate social circles called for the Cooperation Council for the Arabic State of the Persian Gulf to make a joint front against Iran. The member-states denounced Iran’s direct and indirect threats to their sovereignty. The Arabic press periodically addresses to such problems. One of the 2007 November issues of Kuwait newspapers “As-siyasa” cites the observations of a reporter of the Iranian “Kaihan” newspaper that Bahrain and the three islands belong to Iran, as well as the announcement of Iran’s spokesman, Ali Shahmani, that they would wage war against the region countries.

In its Turn Iran denounces instability in Iraq. In the November 9, 2007 issue of the London based Saudi newspaper “Ash-Shark Al-Ausat” is discussed Iraq’s perspectives: It is mentioned that the after American troops are withdrawn from Iraq, Iran and Syria will at once try to strengthen their positions in Middle East. The newspaper also points out that Iran and Syria carry out double-standard policy while supporting religious political movements: from the one hand Iran struggles against Iraqi Sunnis, from the other – cooperates with the Palestinian “Hamas,” which is also a Sunni movement. In its turn Syria suppresses “Muslim-brother” in its country, and at the same time supports “Hamas” and “Hezbollah.” By the way, the above mentioned newspaper doesn’t exclude that after Iraq and Lebanon, the Persian Gulf (where are inhabited most of the Shiites) will appear in the siege of Iranian-Islamic revolution.

In one of the April, 2008 issues the above mentioned “Ash-Shark Al-Ausat” newspaper speaks about Iranian intervention in Iraq and cites the standpoint of Iran’s National Security Adviser Muvafak Al-Rubai, according to which terrorism in Middle East may be extirpated only by means of regional cooperation. However, it will be impossible to succeed in this objective as long as Iran and Syria continue assisting terrorists. It is mentioned that Iran supports the army of Mahdi leaded by Muktada As-Sadr, as well as to other military-political structures serving to the interests of Iran. In compliance with it, Iran’s final goal is to establish pro-Iran Shiite government in Iraq, which is impossible, because the Iranian Shiites, making the majority of population, are carriers of Arabic identity.

On March 2008, the Qatari newspaper “Al-Arab” published an interview with the speaker of Iranian “Hamas” Organization Ahmad Salah Ad-Din. In the interview is mentioned that the Iranian “Al-Qaida” gets military, financial and other kinds of support from Iran, and in spite of its Sunni orientation, it wages war with the other Sunni groupings of opposition. The speaker mentions that Iran wants to change Iraq’s demography, especially Bagdad, in favor of Shiites. In this context Iran is considered to be a worse enemy than the US.

The Saudi press in its turn denounces Iran in furthering demographic changes in Lebanon, and “Hezbollah” is being denounced in sacrificing Lebanon to the interests of Iran and Syria.

In that way in the Arabic circles Iran is conceived to be quite inadequate. Iran’s extreme activity in the traditional spheres of inter-Arab politics – Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, is considered quite inadmissible. Syria-Iran strengthening cooperation in political and other spheres and their assistance to “Hezbollah,” “Islamic Jihad,” “Hamas” and “Al-Fath Al-Islam” arouses negative reaction of the Gulf countries. Both Iran and Syria are accused of furthering internal political crisis in Lebanon, hindering stabilization of situation in Iraq and Palestine, supporting radical groupings. It is obvious that there are geopolitical, ideological and religious differences between Iran and Arabic countries situated in the same region, which hinders their cooperation and mutual trust.


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