CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VII (1, 2) Contemporary-Eurasia-3new | Página 109

MUSHEGH GHAHRIYAN
safe haven for Iraq’s Baathists, including several members of his family. 33
Bahrain did not participate in the military operation however expressed
willingness to be part of peacekeeping operation after the end of war.
Oman was committed to its policy of neutrality and did not participate in
the military operation.
After the fall of the Iraqi regime all the states of the region under-
lined the necessity of protecting the unity, as well as the restoration of
the sovereignty of Iraq. The neighboring countries endorsed the estab-
lishment of new public authorities, adopt new constitution and hold elec-
tions. The Gulf countries stressed that there will be no any interference in
Iraq’s internal aff airs and expressed solidarity to Iraqi people. At the fi rst
post-Saddam donor conference for Iraq in the autumn of 2003, Kuwait
pledged $1.5 billion to help reconstruct its former enemy, of which about
two thirds was to be in grants and one-third in loans. 34
With regard to the relations of Qatar and Iraq, in 2017 Iraqi Foreign
Minister Ibrahim Al-Jaafari announced that his country opposes the sanc-
tions of Arab countries imposed on Qatar. “No Arab country should be
besieged or encircled, and this year Qatar is certainly better than the pre-
vious year,” – said the minister. 35
The Response of Gulf countries to the referendum of independence
in Iraqi Kurdistan
In 2014-2015, when ISIL was occupying large territories in Syria
and Iraq, the Kurdish peshmerga was the only force capable of fi ghting
against them. At this stage the Kurds received broad international sup-
port. The Kurds started to export their oil independently and negotiate
with Baghdad from stronger positions. On the other hand Iraqi Kurdis-
tan’s economy was declining because of low oil prices. Intra-Kurdish
problems, such as KDP-Gorran rivalry, issue of KRG presidency, were
also destabilizing factors. To capitalize foreign support and unify Kurds,
the authorities of Iraqi Kurdistan initiated a referendum of independence.
However, the major powers and regional countries refused the secession
of Iraqi Kurdistan and urged to repeal or postpone the referendum. The
Kurds voted for yes, but the legitimacy and results of the referendum
have not been recognized. Furthermore, Iraq imposed sanctions and air
33
34
35
Jon Alterman, “Iraq and the Gulf States, The Balance of Fear,” USIP, Special Report, Wash-
ington, 9, https://www.usip.org/sites/default/fi les/sr189.pdf (accessed March 17, 2018).
David Pollock, “Kuwait: Keystone of U.S. Gulf Policy,” The Washington Institute for Near
East Policy, Policy Focus #76, November 2007, 13.
“FM: Iraq opposes Qatar blockade,” Middle East Monitor, November 10, 2017, https://www.
middleeastmonitor.com/20171110-fm-iraq-opposes-qatar-blockade/(accessed June 25,2018).
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