Meeting with Delegation from Iraqi Parliament

Meeting report

Discussion with Delegation from Iraqi Parliament
The Chairperson welcomed the Iraqi delegation and introduced his colleagues. He noted that a diplomat from the Iraqi delegation would interpret what Committee Members and members of the Iraqi delegation were saying.

The Head of Iraqi National Information Services, Dr Zuhair Abdurahman Ameen Ameen, thanked the Committee for welcoming the delegation and for giving them the opportunity to come to the country and meet with various Committees as well as the Deputy Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ebrahim Ebrahim. He allowed members of the Iraqi delegation to introduce themselves.

Dr Ameen stated that the Iraqi government looked to South Africa with great importance, as they wanted to increase bilateral agreements as well as their diplomatic representation in the country. He informed the Committee that Iraq was rich with civilisation, and it was a country where many prophets had been born. He noted that Iraq and South Africa were similar in terms of the amount of human resources both had and because both had multi-cultural populations. He told the Committee that Iraq was fast becoming a country with major economic investment opportunities and he wanted to extend an invitation to South African businesses to invest in his country. The Iraqi delegation had extended invitations to the Minister and Deputy Minister for International Relations and Cooperation to visit Iraq as it made sense to increase relations between the two countries.

The Chairperson replied that he was aware that a lot had been done between the two nations. He wanted to express his best wishes on the progress Iraq had made and hoped peace would prevail in the country. The Iraqi delegation had to take lessons from South Africa’s experience in the past when it learnt how important peace-keeping was. The Committee believed that Iraq would overcome its challenges. He agreed that there were similarities between Iraq and South Africa – both were well-endowed with natural resources, and both were developing countries with challenges. It made sense for the two nations to work together. He hoped South African businesses would take up the investment opportunities offered by the Iraqi government; however, he also wanted Iraqi businesses to invest in South Africa.

Ms L Jacobus (ANC) asked the Iraqi delegation which areas they most wanted South African businesses to invest in. She also noted that it was important for the government to listen to what the people wanted. This was an issue that was very close to her heart.

Dr Ameen answered that Iraq offered an array of possibilities when it came to investment opportunities. Many businesses were interested in Iraq’s energy, defence, housing, transport and tourism sectors.

Ambassador Hishman Al-Alawi from the Iraqi Embassy in Pretoria added that there were 12 key sectors mentioned previously in a bilateral agreement such as water resource management, healthcare, tourism etc. Iraq was one of the fastest growing economies in the world with just over 10% growth in 2011. In the next five years, Iraq would become the biggest oil producer in the world. There had been some interaction with South African businesses who seemed interested in investing in Iraq. Iraq was also looking to explore the area of higher education and was working with the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) on this. Another important sector for Iraq was military and security and they had had met with Denel already.

He agreed that both nations had to work at government and non-government level to further relations between the countries. There was a demand from the South African population, especially Muslims, to visit Iraq. He recently heard from the Iraqi Embassy that they would be able to make it easier for South Africans to get access to visas so they may visit Iraq for cultural and religious reasons.

The Chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee (NRC) in Iraq added that the Iraqi delegation was delighted to be in South Africa and were happy that they received such a friendly welcome. He stated that the Iraqi government was also interested in South Africa’s experience with reconciliation. After 2003, Iraq faced many problems relating to how they should deal with people who have committed crimes during the previous regime, how to deal with the victims, and what do to with institutions that were part of the old regime. There was a desire from the Iraqi government to promote peace and security as soon as possible. Benefiting from the South African experience would make it easier for Iraq to go through the reconciliation process.

The Chairperson thanked the delegation for the invitation to visit Iraq.

Mr I Davidson (DA) spoke to the issue of reconciliation and asked how this would be handled given the tension between Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds. Since sanctions were imposed on Iran, South Africa needed an alternate source of oil. The oil that Iraq had to offer was very similar to the oil South Africa used from Iran. He asked the Iraqi delegation to speak to this. He also wanted them to comment on the situation in Syria.

Dr Ameen replied that throughout centuries Iraq consisted of more than Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds – Iraq was multi-cultural. Most had managed to co-exist throughout these times. There was a wide-array of each ethnicity and there were many different languages being spoken in the country. After 2003 Iraq faced major challenges regarding terrorist activities that were aimed at destroying peace in the country. This took place when Iraq was still at a very vulnerable stage. There were terrorists from other countries that also infiltrated Iraq; it was not always Iraqi “personalities” that were causing disturbances. This was why national reconciliation was needed.

The Chairperson of the NRC added that problems faced in Iraq emerged from external motivations, not internal ones. There were a lot of regional interferences that caused eruptions in the Iraqi population – especially from neighbouring countries. Some of the corrupt politicians in Iraq also wanted to serve their own interests. However, this corruption was not deeply embedded in the Iraqi government, which was why it only lasted for two years.

Ambassador Al-Alawi answered that Iraq had supplied South Africa with crude oil in the past, so it would make sense for the country to import from them. He had a meeting with the Chairperson for Energy, which seemed encouraging. He has also tried to make an appointment with the Minister for Energy, but had not been able to yet – which he had complained about. The Iraqi government was aware that South Africa was looking for an alternate source of energy.

The Ambassador said that the Iraqi government supported the Syrian people and their call for democratic institutions. The Iraqi government has engaged with the Syrian government to have true democratic reform. However, even though they were concerned about the escalation of violence in Syria, the Iraqi government did not believe that direct military interference or economic sanctions would be effective. They understood that this was also the official position that South Africa took on the matter.

Mr B Elof (DA) thought that the way forward for Iraq and South Africa was to have trade shows where the two countries could show each other what they had to offer. He urged the Iraqi delegation to look at countries such as Rwanda to learn about reconciliation.

Ambassador Al-Alawi agreed that the two nations should increase their level of engagements, and trade fairs could be the way to go. Iraq was definitely open to learning from reconciliation practices in other countries.

Mr B Skosana (IFP) stated that he wanted to give a brief historical perspective on reconciliation. The concept of reconciliation and nation building was first raised by President Nelson Mandela who thought at the time it was important to have peace and political stability in the country. The question that members of Parliament were faced with at the time was how they would do this. As a result, some of the measures to further reconciliation had to be built into the Constitution. The Constitution made provision for Chapter 9 institutions that support democracy, reconciliation and nation building. These characteristics were entrenched in institutions such as the Human Rights Commission, the Commission on Gender Equality and the Constitutional Court. Most importantly, these qualities were entrenched in the multi-party system adopted by South Africa, which oversaw democracy and governance. This system was national and provincial. He emphasised that the Constitution should recognise all different cultures and races in the country.

The Chairperson of the NRC noted that democracy was not perfect in Iraq, as it was still a very young democracy. The country was still in a conflicting time where certain people were still trying to sabotage everything that has been achieved in the country so far. However, Iraq was trying its best to learn from other countries.

Ambassador Al-Alawi added that building a democracy was not an easy process; there had to be patience. Despite the difficulties the country has faced, they have come a long way from where they were. The Iraqi government was optimistic that this would continue. They were also sincerely optimistic about engaging with South Africa. He thanked the Committee and the South African government for all their support over the past years, and said they were looking forward to future engagements. 

The Chairperson thanked the Iraqi delegation for their input. He assured them that the Committee and South African government had heard their request for further engagements. He understood that another Iraqi delegation would be visiting the country in June where a Memorandum of Understanding would be signed regarding trade and economic cooperation. Judging from the comments made, there was definitely a need for stronger relations between both nations. He wished the Iraqi delegation well.

The meeting was adjourned.