Interview: Ambassador in the service of Iraq

Despite a schedule packed with preparations for the major conference on Iraq being held in Stockholm on 29 May, Iraq's ambassador Ahmad Bamarni generously finds time for an interview.

"Sweden opened its doors to the Iraqi opposition during Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. And the people of Iraq haven't forgotten it. We want to deepen the relations between our countries. The Iraqi 'diaspora' is a great help to us in this endeavour - more than 140 000 people with roots in Iraq who want nothing more than to build bridges between our countries. The ties between Sweden and Iraq are strong," says Iraq's ambassador to Sweden Ahmad Bamarni.

Ambassador Ahmad Bamarni is in his first post as a diplomat for all of Iraq. For many years he represented the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in both France and Belgium.

What's it like being in the service of Iraq?

"I now represent all of Iraq. The two assignments differ, to be sure, but in fact there's no great difference in diplomatic terms. As before, I have contacts with government representatives, ministers and other dignitaries in the countries where I used to represent the KRG. These days I have to do a lot more explaining than I needed to then. One question that always comes up is the issue of occupation or no occupation. On this issue we have no hesitation: without what happened in 2003 Iraq would never have freed itself from Saddam Hussein, free elections could never have taken place - 12 million Iraqis voted in the latest election, a free press and Internet would have remained an unattainable dream. We've achieved all this and more besides, even if much still remains to be done."

"This is only to be expected in a chaotic period of transition with many problems of the kind Iraq is going through today. But I have no doubt that Iraq is heading for a brighter future. We want to build up a federal, stable, secure and flourishing Iraq, but the process takes time."

Why is it important to have a follow-up conference within the framework of the Iraq Compact Annual Review Conference (ICI)?

"The partnership between Iraq and the international community within the ICI framework is important for the reform process in Iraq. Iraq is not a poor country, but after decades of dictatorship, war and social decay we need the support of other countries in many areas. For example, there's the matter of state- and society-building, infrastructure, industry, investment and other 'know-how'. For its part, Iraq has pledged to work on the process of achieving reconciliation between different population groups, fighting corruption, increasing transparency, but above all building a more secure and more stable Iraq."

Why did you ask Sweden specifically to host this major conference on Iraq?

"The UN and Iraq, which lead the work of the ICI, asked a number of countries and Sweden agreed to host the conference. We are very pleased about this. This shows Sweden's commitment and support to the people and government of Iraq. It's also extremely pleasing that for the first time, the conference is being held in an EU country."

What do you hope the conference in Stockholm in May will achieve?

"We want to make sure of the support of the international community for the development of the new Iraq. A successful Iraq will have a positive impact on the entire Middle East region, the EU and the world in general."