Iraq Says Not Interested in US-Led Bahrain Conference

“We are not interested in this conference and we will not participate in it,” Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad al-Sahaf told Turkey’s Anadolu news agency on Wednesday.

“Iraq is sticking by its firm and principled position regarding the Palestinian issue and the rights of the Palestinian people,” he noted.

Iraq is the second Arab country of the Middle East after Lebanon to boycott the conference in support of the Palestinian people.

This comes as countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Morocco have informed Washington of their plans to send representatives to the June 25-26 conference, also known as the “deal of the century”, which seeks to unveil the economic aspects of the US scheme on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Washington has withheld details about its plan, but various leaks have revealed that it seriously compromises Palestinians’ rights and grievances.

Meanwhile, Palestinians have accused regional Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar — which have similarly announced plans to participate at the conference — of betraying the Palestinian cause of ending the Israeli occupation.

All Palestinian factions, whether in the Gaza Strip or in the occupied West Bank, have unanimously boycotted the conference.

Speaking in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah on April 16, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh lashed out at the initiative, asserting it was “born dead.”

Palestinians also have urged Egypt and Jordan to reconsider, arguing that the move would weaken any Arab opposition to the US plan.

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