Posted By:
Catherine Moy
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As Iraq moves toward stability and freedom, both of which American troops and our allies have given the country, Iraq’s neighbors are moving in to help.,
Help wtih security is indeed welcome, but Iraq should be aware of the wolves in sheeps’s clothing. Iran is trying to direct Iraq, and Iran hasn’t exactly had Iraq’s best interests in mind.

Here’s the sotry from Arabnews.com:

AMMAN/ BAGHDAD: Interior ministers of Iraq and eight of its neighboring countries met in Amman yesterday and vowed to support the Baghdad government in strengthening its security and stability.

The meeting coincided with the handover of Babil province, part of what was once known as the “Triangle of Death,” to Iraqi security by US forces.

The Amman conference was significant as it came at a time when the Iraqi government is locked in intense negotiations with the United States on a long-term security pact that reportedly provides, among other things, for the withdrawal of the allied forces from Iraq by the end of 2011.

Interior Minister Prince Naif, who led the Saudi delegation, said the conference was a success. “All countries neighboring Iraq want the Iraqi people to live in peace and security,” Naif told reporters after the meeting.

The Kingdom will extend all possible support to the ongoing efforts to ensure the security and stability of Iraq, the prince said. “The situation in Iraq will affect not only the Gulf region but the whole humanity,” he said, adding that security is essential for Iraq’s progress at political, developmental and social levels.

Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Iran and Turkey, and officials from the Organization of the Islamic Conference and Arab League attended the meeting, which denounced all forms of terrorist activities and affirmed the need to protect the unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty and Arab identity of Iraq.

The meeting also supported Iraq’s efforts to strengthen security; agreed to prevent terrorists from using their countries as bases for terrorist operations; and called for measures to prevent intruders and arms smuggling through their borders.

The ministers decided to sign security agreements with Iraq; activate existing bilateral security cooperation; and support Iraqi security machinery. Their next meeting will be in Egypt.

Iranian Interior Minister Ali Kordan said that Tehran opposed any document that threatens Iraqi interests, in an apparent reference to a draft of the Washington-Baghdad security pact. “We believe that the Iraqi people must remain strong enough to take their own decisions in line with their interests. Iran will support any document that is accepted by the Iraqis,” Kordan told the meeting. “The American troops must leave Iraq unconditionally and in accordance with a timetable,” he added.

Babil is the 12th of 18 Iraqi provinces to be placed under Iraqi control as a sign of improving security. US forces will remain in the area to assist the Iraqis when needed. At a transfer ceremony held near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon, Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin, the No. 2 US commander in Iraq, said security gains have been remarkable with the number of attacks falling about 80 percent from an average of 20 per week a year ago.

But he cautioned that “while the enemies of Iraq are down, they are not necessarily defeated.” With Babil’s handover to the Iraqi government, the only province left under US control in southern Iraq is Wasit, a rural desert region that borders Iran. Wasit will be transferred to Iraqi authorities on Oct. 29, said Maj. Gen. Michael Oates, US commander south of Baghdad.

Other provinces that remain to be handed over are north of the capital, where violence has been slower to decline after insurgents fled security crackdowns in Baghdad and surrounding areas.

Salim Al-Musilmawi, Babil’s provincial governor, credited tribal leaders and Sunnis who turned against Al-Qaeda in Iraq in a US-funded revolt with the downturn in violence. “Today’s security handover is the fruit of the victory over Al-Qaeda,” he said at the ceremony.