Ahmad Chalabi, the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq and a likely candidate for Prime Minister, paid a visit to his old home, Tehran, this past weekend. The New York Times reported the visit’s principal reason as one where Chalabi could tell the Iranians of his concern regarding their interference in Iraq. Interestingly, only the New York Times seemed to have this view. While one would expect the Iranian press, or at least the government-controlled press, to portray the visit in slightly different terms, the British media also reported the trip differently. Oddly, nowhere can one read of Chalabi’s tough line with Iranians except in the Times; rather, one reads of “increased economic cooperation”, and sees pictures of smiles and handshakes. And interestingly, Iraqi Airways inaugurated a flight from Baghdad to Tehran the same weekend of Chalabi’s visit, with regular service to commence next week. If the Iraqis are hopping mad at the Iranians for interfering in their internal affairs, starting air service between their two capitals after some twenty five years is hardly the way to show it.
Ahmad Chalabi, a one-time favorite of the neocons but always a friend of Iran, is to visit Washington this week and meet with Condoleezza Rice and John Snow. (Perhaps Dick Cheney will also find time to have a drink or two with his old buddy?) It seems that Mr. Chalabi, by visiting Iran and the U.S. in one week is setting out to secure if not the support, then at least the blessing of his two masters for his run for the control of Iraq. While it might be tempting for the U.S. to back a secular Shiite over Islamist candidates such as current Prime Minister al-Jaafari, it should be remembered that Mr. Chalabi will be no less dependent on Iranian patronage than any other future Prime Minister. The fact that he traveled to Iran in the same week that Kofi Annan cancelled his trip there (because of President Ahmadinejad’s outburst on the question of Israel’s existence) only emphasizes the point. But Chalabi, like the child of feuding divorced parents (U.S. and Iran), knows well how to play them against each other. And the New York Times, even without his darling Judith Miller, remains the paper of choice to disseminate his propaganda.