Baghdad, April 03: Iraq’s Prime Minister on Saturday called the international crackdown on Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi “selective”, chastising foreign forces for singling out one oppressive Mideast regime without helping peaceful protesters in others.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shi’ite Muslim, made clear he was not advocating widespread use of military force in response to the unrest sweeping the region. But the Shi’ite-led Iraqi government has been frustrated with the West’s hands-off approach to the crackdown in Bahrain, where Shi’ite protesters are challenging a Sunni-led leadership closely allied with Washington.
“Whatever decision is made on Libya should be applied on any government that suppresses its people with iron and fire,” al-Maliki said. “The process should not be selective. … I want the international community to be fair, just and equal about all the areas in which peoples are suppressed.”
Iraq supported the Arab League’s call for a no-fly zone over Libya, which led to a UN Security Council resolution authorising airstrikes to protect Libyan civilians at risk from Gaddafi’s forces. On Saturday, al-Maliki affirmed that stance, saying nations should not interfere with others’ internal disputes unless there is widespread international consensus to do so.
–Agencies