November 6, 2011

By Al-Rai satellite television hosted Dr. Khodeir al-Murshidi,  official spokesperson of the Arab Ba'ath Socialist Party of Iraq, asking for him to comment on a variety of news items concerning the latest developments in Iraq. Foremost among the news items is announcement of the imminent withdrawal of US occupying troops from Iraq at the end of 2011.  There has also been news of an alleged plan to take over power in Iraq supposedly discovered in Libya and delivered to the Maliki puppet government in Baghdad. This was soon followed by a mass arrest campaign of Iraqi Ba'athists and news that recently broke out of the Salah ed-Deen province of its intention to declare its separation from the central government in Baghdad through a vote of its local council.

Al-Murshidi outlined the plans of the Ba'ath party of Iraq in the aftermath of the anticipated US withdrawal. He first pointed to the fact that the intended withdrawal is a result of the defeat of the US at the hands of the valiant Iraqi resistance as led by the Ba'ath party in Iraq alongside all patriotic, national, and Islamic resistance forces and not because of previous security agreements drawn out by the Maliki traitor government and US occupying forces. It is important for to understand that this is a significant defeat of the US occupation of Iraq, as conceded by numerous US strategists themselves. It comes from the heavy toll both in human life and material losses that the US occupation has suffered at the hands of the Iraqi resistance. 

What has become collectively known as the Iraqi resistance is made up of a wide alliance of all Iraqi parties opposed to the US occupation of Iraq and led by the Ba'ath party.  This alliance, named The Higher Command of Jihad and Liberation, is headed by the secretary-general of the Arab Ba'ath Socialist party 'Izzat Ibrahim Al-Douri. In its manifesto for liberation in 2003 and its manifesto for liberation and independence of 2007, it highlighted its strategy for the liberation of Iraq and what shall take place after the defeat and withdrawal of the occupying American forces.

The news of a plot uncovered in Libya are totally baseless. The Resistance manifestos clearly spell out the plan for liberation and independence of Iraq. In the spirit of the manifesto, Dr. Murshidi re-affirmed the following:

• The intended US withdrawal will leave behind several military bases, military air capability, and many thousands of mercenaries. As a result the Iraqi resistance will not be halted until the last foreign occupier departs.
  
  
• The Iraqi resistance and Ba'ath party will not participate in any political process with the illegal government that was erected during, for, and by the occupation of Iraq. This is because such a government and political process are illegitimate and aim to legitimize the occupation of Iraq and to serve the occupation army's interests.
  
  
• The door for repentance is open to those who will apologize to the Iraqi people for their treachery and complicity with the occupiers until the point the last foreign occupier leaves Iraq. After that they shall suffer the consequences of their actions and be dealt with by the justice decided upon by the Iraqi people.
  
  
• The Ba'ath will be involved in dialog with all parties that are part of the resistance movement and opposed the occupying US army in Iraq.
  
  
• The Ba'ath party as highlighted in the 2003 and 2007 manifestos for liberation and independence will work after the last withdrawal of US occupiers from Iraq on the creation of an interim government which will have  two years to prepare for general elections leading to a democratic multi-party government  and the Ba'ath party will be participating in this process and be the vanguard for it.
  
  
• Any move to split Iraq as happened in Salah ed-Deen province does not serve the interests of Iraq, is in the interests of the occupiers of Iraq and is opposed by the Ba'ath party.
  
  
• All regional interference in Iraq alongside the current traitor government of Iraq will be swept away by the Iraqi people after the US occupiers have withdrawn in defeat from Iraq. All regional interference, whether from Iran, Turkey, the Zionist entity of "Israel", or the Americans and their clients in Iraq will be defeated in Iraq.

As to the mass arrests of Ba'athists in Iraq this clearly shows that the traitor government of Maliki fears the Ba'ath. It is the Ba'ath with its wide appeal and mass membership of Iraqis throughout the length and breadth of the country is clearly the most potent of forces in Iraq.  These measures are meant to preempt a move by the Ba'ath in the aftermath of the declaration of US withdrawal from Iraq. Clearly the Ba'ath is feared by the Maliki government and rightly so. The Ba'ath is very popular in Iraq and has wide membership amongst the Iraqis and the fall of the traitor Maliki government is imminent in Iraq. 

In answer to a question about divisions amongst the Ba'ath in Iraq, al-Murshidi asserted there are no divisions amongst the Ba'ath in Iraq, that there is only one Ba'ath and it is headed by its secretary-general 'Izzat Ibrahim Al-Douri.

Source: Iraq Palestinian Committee (Received via correspondence)