You have created this mess, Dr Rice

SHE came, she saw and she failed again! US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice might go into the annals of US history with the dubious distinction of having most failed missions to her credit. Another failure was added in her cap on Tuesday night when she failed to win commitment from Iraq's neighbours to any immediate strengthening of diplomatic or economic support for the Baghdad government.

Rice, who had been on a whistle-stop tour of the Gulf to rally for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government, saw her hard work coming to naught when Iraq's neighbours failed to make any commitment on writing off Iraqi debts and establishing diplomatic missions in battle-scarred Baghdad.

The only positive outcome of the conference, in the words of Rice, was "the decision to express its intent to hold its next meeting in Baghdad, yet another sign that things are moving forward." It may be mentioned here that Arab ministers balked at plans to hold the second conference in the Iraqi capital last November, which they felt was unsafe. That meeting took place in Istanbul instead. The question here is why the Gulf Arab states, which supported Iraq's decade-long war with Iran, are shying away particularly when Saddam Hussein is gone and Iraq no longer poses a threat to the region.

Prime Minister Al-Maliki while chiding Arab neighbours said: "Iraq today is different from the previous Iraq which assaulted its neighbours." But the statement failed to move any of Iraqi neighbours, none of whom have a diplomatic mission in the country. With due apologies to the eminent doctor of the Baker Street, it's elementary Dr Rice. It is your mess. So why are Iraq's neighbours being asked to clear the mess created by someone else?

Dr Rice should know that it is the wrong policies of the US which have made Iraq the most dangerous place on the planet, a haven for al-Qaeda and a political chessboard for Iran to checkmate the US from wielding a wider influence in the region. Five years ago when the US occupied Iraq, it had ample time to establish rule of law and democracy. But the US administration failed to install a creditable and effective alternative government in Iraq. Instead of consolidating Iraqi institutions, the US went about dismantling them. The Iraqi army was disbanded, rendering hundreds of thousands soldiers jobless. Same was done with Iraqi state institutions and the Baath Party.

Worst of all, the US opened a can of sectarian hatred by setting up Iran's allies and militias as the new rulers and providing them with money, weapons, and political and moral support and ultimately pushed Iraq from the Arab fold towards Iran. That is why none of the Iraq neighbours even uttered a word about writing off its debts or given their word on establishing missions. Security is not the real reason, as many other foreign countries have kept diplomatic missions in Baghdad despite worsening security situation.

The other reason is that most of the Arab commentators are of the view that the present situation in Iraq is the result of occupation, and the situation has gone so far that Iraq neighbours think that with just nine months to go, it is not worthwhile to do what the Bush administration wants.

One commentator rightly summed up the Arab mood by saying: "The time has surely come for the regional states to take their destiny into their own hands. They should convene a conference on Iraq - but politely ask Condoleezza Rice to stay away."