Maliki a “Corrupt Dictator”: MEP

28/07/2016 - 17:07




BRUSSELS —

Struan Stevenson, the President of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iraq, described the former Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki as "a corrupt dictator" who led the country into a civil war.


Stevenson revealed some facts about the former Iraqi PM and how the Iraqi Shi'ite-led government waged sectarian war on Sunni citizens in the country as well as the level of Iran's interference in Iraq. He said, ”Five years ago when I was elected as the chair of the delegation for relations with Iraq in this house [EU parliament] to cement good relations between the European Parliament and Iraq, to build a good sympathetic relationship, within a very few weeks I exposed the fact that Nouri al-Maliki is a corrupt dictator," he said.


Stevenson explained that he was told by many people in Brussels to shut up because Iran, the US and the UK insisted on the fraudulent re-election of Nouri al-Maliki; ”But I refused to shut up.”


Maliki later accused him of being an enemy of Iraq and a liar in a press statement, but "he then sent an envoy from Baghdad to my office in the European Parliament to ask me what it would take to make me shut up and I said what it would take will be your resignation and your indictment for crimes against humanity", Stevenson said.


In 2010, Maliki lost election to Ayad al-Allawi by two seats, but Iran did not allow Allawi to become the Iraqi PM since he was frequently criticizing Iran's interference in Iraq's affairs.


The US and the UK also supported Maliki to form a coalition and take the office, Stevenson revealed. "That was a short term mistake and it was a tragedy for Iraq and the whole region," he argued.


Stevenson said that the new Iraqi PM Haidar al-Abadi has admitted that "there are over 1 million armed Shi'ite militia active in Iraq, which are backed, financed and led by the Quds force from Iran waging sectarian war on the Sunni population and then the world asks why is the Sunni tribes members in Anbar and Diyala are not standing up and fighting alongside the Iraqi army to get rid of ISIS?”.


"Because the Sunni people think that the Shi'ite militias are worse than ISIS" Stevenson believes.


"If we are serious about ridding the world of ISIS and if we are serious about encouraging the Sunnis in Iraq to join force with the Iraqi military and Peshmerga to help oust ISIS, and this is the only practical way that we can fight against ISIS, then we must get rid of the Iranian interference in Iraq," he argued.


People's Mojahedin Organization Of Iran (PMOI) has revealed 30,000 names of Iraqi Shi'ites who are working in the army, intelligence services, and in the administration of Iraq who have been trained and are being paid a weekly wage by Iran, said the EU official.


**Credit goes to "TMAN" from chat**



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