Iraq rejects Pakistani proposal of Muslim peacekeepers
Pakistan Times Wire Service

ISLAMABAD: Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Wednesday rejected a Pakistani proposal for a Muslim peacekeeping force, saying more foreign troops were not welcome.

Opening 34th meeting of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) on Tuesday, President Pervez Musharraf floated the idea of a peacekeeping force for Iraq drawn from Muslim nations.

Asked by reporters about the idea Wednesday, Zebari said the idea had been raised and knocked down before. “We have reservations on this proposal,” Zebari told reporters, adding his government had objected to such suggestions in the past as well.

“My government’s position is not for welcoming any more troops. We want our troops, the Iraqi troops, to rise up and stand, let’s say to stabilize the situation,” Zebari said.

The US put out diplomatic feelers about creating an Arab-Muslim peacekeeping force for Iraq several years ago, but Egypt and other Arab nations were reluctant to get involved in Iraq’s chaos.

Musharraf, a close US ally, suggested Muslim peacekeepers could help secure Iraq after an end to “outside interference”. The Iraqi minister also met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, on the margins of the ICFM.

Zebari described the meeting as “very good, positive”, and said they discussed upcoming security talks in Baghdad involving Iraq, Iran and the United States. “I think this is a very good opportunity to ease the regional tension, to help the Iraqi government to succeed in its efforts to stabilise the situation.”●