By Xinhua
Washington : US President George W. Bush has said that he was strongly opposed to the partition of Iraq, saying that the will of that country will prevail.
Bush made the remarks in an interview with satellite channel Al-Arabiya. Asked whether the partition of Iraq is bad news for Iraqis, Bush responded with a “yes”, according to transcripts released by the White House.
“I don’t think it will happen. I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Bush added, in response to a follow-up question over what would happen if the next administration or another US president comes into office and embraces the idea.
“An American president must understand that Iraq is a sovereign nation operating under its own constitution. And I’m very confident that the will of Iraq will prevail,” Bush said.
“I know there’s some noise about partition. But most folks who follow this issue don’t support partition, and they don’t think it’s a good idea,” he said, referring to a recent Senate vote calling for the partitioning of Iraq on ethnic lines.
The US Senate voted last week to endorse a non-binding resolution, calling for the division of Iraq into regions under a weak federal government – one Kurdish, one Shia and one Sunni.
The resolution provoked a storm of protest from Iraqi politicians including Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who warned that it would be a disaster for Iraq. Gulf Arab countries also expressed their strong opposition to any partition of Iraq.