The Iraq war is bound to have serious international repercussions. In this regard, the TEHRAN TIMES conducted the following interview with Brigadier General Seyed Masoud Jazayeri, director of Public Relations and the Publications Department of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), in which he discussed his views on the Iraq war. Q: Could you explain the reasons for the weak performance of the United Nations regarding the Iraq crisis and why it did not meet the expectations of the world?

A: In the tactics of the United States in relation to Iraq, we can see some differences in comparison with the past. In the past, for instance, in the case of the invasion of Kuwait by Iraq or in the case related to the war in part of Europe, or in Afghanistan, the U.S. tried to create a consensus and gain legitimacy in the world for these actions. Even though the U.S. tried to create a relative consensus on the recent Iraq issue, in practice we saw that gaining this world consensus was not a primary concern for the U.S. Maybe we can consider this to be a new trend in U.S. foreign policy.

In effect it seems as though the U.S. is trying to pursue its strategic aims outside of international organizations and the UN Security Council. It seems that the prime concerns of the U.S. are the issue of globalization and being the only superpower. The prerequisite for this is getting control of some of the regions of the world, one of the most essential being the Middle East because of its strategic position.

Therefore, after the case of Afghanistan, through which the U.S. could use its presence in Afghanistan to effect changes in the secure borders of Russia and the countries which gained their independence after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, it moved toward the heart of the Middle East, Iraq. Apart from the economic and even political aspects, occupying Iraq, both from a regional and a global perspective, is of great importance.

Concerning political issues, the U.S. can cast a shadow on a great part of both the oil and energy sectors and could politically control all the countries of the region such as Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, and even some European countries, Japan, and Russia, and thus impose its influence and views on them. Q: U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have said that liberating the Iraqi nation was one of the aims of the attack on that country. How do you view freedom under occupation?

A: The U.S. called the war against Afghanistan a war against terrorism and the war with Iraq a war against weapons of mass destruction. Along with this argument, they call the war against Iraq a war for democracy. We may see political propaganda along these lines in the following days or months.

The U.S. has placed the Iraqi regime beside terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Taleban and has put pressure on the nation in order to remove the regime. In some aspects this is correct, because the Baath regime in Iraq came to power as a result of a coup d'etat, and during the last three decades the nation and the people of Iraq have been under pressure. However, this case, where another country comes and tries to change the regime by force through using missiles and bombs, is a phenomenon which we have never seen in history. What can be said on the basis of the documents of the last one or two years is that the U.S. actions in the Iraq war were based on a plan formulated at an earlier time. Q: How will the international community react to the fact that the U.S. wants to appoint a U.S. military governor with Zionist tendencies to rule Iraq?

A: Noticing the lack of global cooperation, especially in the international arena, we can not expect anything from it. But in response to the question on whether public opinion is effective or not, it should be said that it is not ineffective. What is of importance is that the U.S., regardless of international organizations and even public opinion, is seeking its own interests. Although this is an action based on force, it is a bitter truth which the world should acknowledge. Despite the desires of the people of the world, this forced action of the U.S. continues and shall continue. This move shall also have a positive impact in the long run, as it shall enlighten public opinion, to the point where people will come to understand the serious realities of this U.S. action, beyond what the media report. Although this action shall be to the disadvantage of the Iraqi nation and a foreigner might rule Iraq, in the long run it shall enlighten the public. (To Be Contd.)