Iraq government grants pensions to former Iraqi army officers

Hussein Hafidh
For Al-Shorfa.com
2009-02-26

Iraqi soldiers march in a parade during an Iraqi Army Day celebration in Samawa, 230 km (140 miles) south of Baghdad, on Jan. 12. (Reuters/Mohammed Ameen (Iraq))

BAGHDAD – In an attempt to bolster national reconciliation and reduce sectarian tensions, the Iraqi government is making overtures towards army officers who served under Saddam Hussein, offering senior officers pensions and lower ranking officers the chance to re-enlist with the armed forces.

Many army officers who served under Saddam Hussein fled the country after the 2003 invasion of Iraq fearing retribution because of their ties to the ruling Baath party.

The majority of officers who served under Saddam Hussein were Sunni Arabs, which may be a factor in their reluctance to return to an Iraq now ruled by Shi’ite Muslims.

Iraqi Ministry of Defence spokesman Maj. Gen. Mohammed Al-Askari said that the government wants to identify former army officers entitled to pension payments and is trying to contact former officers living abroad.

At a press conference in Baghdad, Al-Askari said, “The government sent teams to Amman, Sana’a, Cairo, Dubai and Damascus to try and persuade former [younger] officers to re-enlist in the Iraqi army or [for older officers to] take their pension payments... “We want former officers to fill out forms so that we can set up a database of people wanting to come back.”

After the invasion of Iraq in 2003, American officials immediately disbanded the Iraqi army and removed Baath party members from the civil service.

Al-Askari said the government may allow younger lower ranking officers to re-enlist in the new Iraqi army which is taking over an increasing share of the country’s security affairs from U.S. forces.

The decision to attempt reconciliation with former leaders of the Baath party comes after the Iraqi Parliament last year reversed some of the measures taken against them, although the government of Nuri Al-Maliki has been criticized for delays in implementing that policy.

[Reuters news agency, Chinese news agency Xinhua]

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