Arab or Muslim nations may send troops to Iraq
Saudi leaders have discussed the possibility of sending forces from Arab or Muslim states to Iraq

Producer: Bharati Jagdish
First broadcast: 29 July 04, Radio Singapore International

The proposal was mooted at talks between US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and has been welcomed by both the US and the interim Iraqi government.

A senior US official accompanying Powell on his visit to Saudi Arabia, said that any troops from Arab and Muslim countries would not replace the current US-led multinational force, but would play a supplementary role.

So far, Arab and Muslim nations have been reluctant to get involved.

It is believed that such a force could help the US-led coalition fight the fierce insurgency in Iraq.

For more on this, Bharati Jagdish (BJ) spoke to political analyst, Dr Andrew Vincent (AV) from the MacQuarie University in Australia.

AV: "I think this is clearly a result of the escalating violence in Iraq and the growing attacks by the Iraqi resistance on coalition troops and also on the interim Iraqi government. It seems pretty plain that the situation in Iraq is beginning to run out of control and I think in the light of those developments, it's natural that the US grasps around for possible solutions."

BJ: But is sending Arab or Muslim forces to the country really a solution?

AV: "Well, I think this is the first step towards a possible solution because it seems to me that it's the presence of coalition forces in Iraq which has become part of the problem. Now, I don't think the United States sees Arab and Muslim forces replacing their own forces, but ultimately, I suspect this is what's going to have to happen for any possibility of the violence receding."

BJ: Now, we've just seen the killing of two Pakistani hostages. They were both Muslims, obviously from an Islamic republic. It seems that even if the forces are from Muslim countries, they may be seen as collaborators supporting the US-led invasion. So what sort of difference really would the involvement of Muslim countries make to the overall security situation and the strength of the resistance?

AV: "It's certainly the case that while the Western troops remain in occupation, this may not make much of a difference. So it's going to be a very brave Arab or Muslim country that agrees to send troops under these circumstances because they certainly will be identified as supporting the United States. But ultimately, I think the violence may well reach such levels that the United States may be forced to withdraw and then I think the need for some kind of peace-keeping force will become absolutely important and here's where Arab and Muslim peacekeepers may well be able to make a difference."

BJ: Now, this idea of an Arab-Muslim force in Iraq has been brought up before. Why wasn't it implemented earlier?

AV: "Well, I think at that time, the United States felt it was able to carry out the occupation by itself and that the violence that was being exercised would quickly be suppressed. Now, this proved to not be the case and the American and ally death toll continues to rise. Now, sharing power with Arab or Muslim peacekeeping forces is not really going to be a solution, but handing power over to Arab and Muslim peacekeeping forces may well be the first step towards a possible solution."

BJ: But would the US even consider handing over control?

AV: "No, I don't think the US is anywhere near doing that yet. It really wants to share the load with other parties from the Arab and Muslim world, but the US would still be in the driver's seat, but while the US is in the driver's seat, we're going to see this continual escalation of violence."

BJ: Now Iraq has made it clear that it doesn't want any of its Islamic neighbours to contribute troops as it may cause complications in regional politics, but which Muslim countries do you think would be willing to get involved at this stage?

AV: "The countries that are either very closely identified with the United States or susceptible to US pressure - countries like Morocco spring to mind. Morocco has a very long-standing and warm relationship with the United States. Possibly Egypt which is very dependent on the US, although the Egyptians I think are very unhappy to see their troops there at this stage. Maybe Saudi Arabia although Saudi Arabia does border Iraq. I think the Kuwaitis would be unacceptable and the United States would find Iranians unacceptable. The United States, I think, is fearful that Iran is already quite active in Iraq and Iran is trying to increase its influence, particularly amongst the Shi'ites of Iraq. Now, if Iranian troops were based there, it would be an enormous incentive to Iran to redouble its efforts to increase its influence in the country."

BJ: Now what would these countries want in return for their participation in Iraq?

AV: "Some of them could be looking for money, aid packages. Others could be looking for diplomatic assistance in various struggles they're undergoing. Others would be just looking for the friendship of the United States because the United States is, after all, the one remaining superpower, the world's hegemonic power and any country that supports the United States can expect its gratitude."