The Iraqi Council of Representatives witnessed on Monday , against the backdrop of the interrogation of Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi, a storm session when unveiling for exposure to processes of “blackmail” and “bargaining” by the head of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, Dr. Salim al-Jubouri, and a number of MPs to get commissions from the massive armament contracts for the ministry, “on account of Iraqi blood,” he described. This disclosure of the defense minister blow to those who are interested of the Iraqi affairs a number of questions must be answered by Khalid al-Obeidi, Iraqi defense minister. If he has already been subjected to blackmail by House Speaker Salim al-Jubouri and other political figures in Iraq, so why he did not submit a judicial complaint against them and kept silent over the previous period as long as he was keen “on Iraqi blood?” as he described. Why he did not disclose the blackmail and bargaining processes earlier? This means that in the absence of questioning him , it would not disclose those bargains ?! and as long as from a constitutional standpoint, he is primarily responsible for the Iraqi Defense Ministry we wonder : Where did his ministry contracts go? Did the other blocs get advantage from those contracts ?
In this context, in order that the charges , raised by Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi to some members of the House of Representatives to have credibility , the minister should have records and witnesses to support the truth of his charges against them , and this is undoubtedly delights our hearts and our chests But if these charges were simply fabrications on these representatives to settle personal or political issues , its repercussions would be disastrous for the minister.
You spoke with courage and cunning through your questioning in the Iraqi parliament, that some MPs and you have indicated to them in the course of talking that they had asked you to to get material advantage of various forms of “contracts, appointments, and personal considerations” of the Ministry of Defence, but you refused and considers it a form of corruption, which is rejected . if this matter was really occurred , you would be to thank for it . But are there other contracts you gave to others , and is this tender legal act?
It is useful to note here that the information obtained by the rawabet center for Research and Strategic Studies, which emphasizes that a lot of figures close to the political and partisan personalities asked Khaled al-Obeidi, Iraqi defense minister to obtain material benefits from his ministry and their requests were met by him . The minister also gave some Iraqi lawmakers what they need of military equipments. But even these gifts were given under the pressure exerted on him but it was paid in return for price .
The question to be raised here loudly : Why the minister did not disclose the names of these beneficiaries ?! the Iraqi people have the right the right to know all those who benefited from the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. And we say here if the minister to disclose those names , then he is a brave man, because in this case, he will reveal what was with him and what against him . If he insists not dealing with their names, and then we understand the storm created by the Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi during the questioning session is merly a settling of accounts between his block and other political block , and perhaps also understand the settling of accounts on behalf of other political interfaces.
Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi said during the interrogation session that were deviated far off from its course, that the head of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, Dr. Salim al-Jubouri asked him to appoint Adnan Almksusi as commaner of the Tigris operations , and the minister in turn refused this request noting that this person failed and expelled from government jobs .How is it possible to say this ?! Especially since the minister in private meetings with the bloc and with the province was complaining to them that he does not have the powers within his ministry, and he went on saying: “that some in this ministry sees him only as a head of the Committee of Contracts in it.” Faced with this limitation of office in the Defense Ministry, is it conceivable that the President of the House of Representatives asked him to do so appointment with pre-knowledge that the minister does not enjoy powers not only qualify him to appoint the operational commander, but even to appoint the commander of the regiment ?!
We add here also to what was said by the defense minister in the questioning session regarding this partial point contrasts perfectly with the information obtained by the rawabet center for Research and Strategic Studies that the personality who requested from the defense minister to appoint that “failed person and expelled from the service under the previous government was not Dr. Salim al-Jubouri, head of the House of Representatives but there was another personality , which had asked the defense minister, during his stay in London through a telephone call. But the minister hid from the Iraqi Council of Representatives that character. As the minister was in communion with that character which he described him as “a failed person” as his place of residence was in the United Arab Emirates and met him and referred him to retirement.
From the above , these questions should be answered by Khalid al-Obeidi, Iraqi defense minister and in the event of the absence of the answer to it, it would be merely a charge for members of the House of Representatives more than to settle political considerations.
Rawabet Center for Research and Strategic Studies