Abdul Rahman Arif
Abdul Rahman Arif | |
---|---|
عبد الرحمن عارف | |
Preceded by | Abdul Salam Arif |
Succeeded by | Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr |
53rd Prime Minister of Iraq | |
In office 10 May 1967 – 10 July 1967 | |
President | Himself |
Preceded by | Naji Talib |
Succeeded by | Tahir Yahya |
Personal details | |
Born | 14 April 1916 Iraq |
Branch/service | Iraqi Ground Forces |
Rank | Lieutenant general |
Battles/wars |
|
Biography
Abdul Rahman Arif was a career soldier. He supported the
Like his brother Abdul Salam, he was an overt supporter of
His presidency was widely believed to be slack and indecisive. However, there are historical clues that he was not corrupt. The ill-advised law that he passed in 1967 to absolve himself from paying income tax was probably an indication that he was not capable of getting wealth otherwise. Shortly after Arif came to power, the Iraqi military launched a major offensive against Kurdish rebels led by
Throughout July, Bazzaz began implementing the agreement by "approving a massive rehabilitation program, lifting the economic blockade, releasing hundreds of Kurdish prisoners, removing Arab tribes from former Kurdish lands, and passing a general amnesty law", but opposition within the military forced Arif to dismiss Bazzaz in favour of General Naji Talib on 6 August.[2] Regardless, American officials in the Lyndon B. Johnson administration welcomed Iraq's brief return to civilian rule under Bazzaz as well as Arif's thwarting of Razzak's second coup attempt on 30 June.[3] Arif was considered "one of the few forces of moderation" in Iraq, having previously established a friendship with U.S. ambassador Robert Strong and making a number of friendly gestures to the United States between April 1966 and January 1967.[4]
At Arif's request, President Johnson met five Iraqi generals and Iraqi ambassador Nasir Hani in Washington, D.C., on 25 January 1967, reiterating his "desire to build an ever closer relationship between [the] two governments."
Prior to the outbreak of the Six-Day War, Iraqi foreign minister Adnan Pachachi met with a number of U.S. officials to discuss the escalating Middle East crisis on 1 June, including U.S. ambassador to the UN Arthur Goldberg, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Eugene V. Rostow, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, and President Johnson himself.[7] The political atmosphere engendered by the costly Arab defeat prompted Iraq to break relations with the U.S. on 7 June, and ultimately ensured the collapse of Arif's relatively moderate government.[8]
On 17 July 1968, while Arif was sleeping, his own assistants along with members of the
Arif returned to Iraq in 1979 when Saddam Hussein came to power, and largely stayed out of the public and political spotlight afterwards. He was allowed to leave the country once to undertake the Hajj. Arif left Iraq permanently after Hussein was removed from power by the U.S.-led invasion, and lived in Amman, Jordan from 2004. He died in Amman on 24 August 2007,[9] He was married to Faika Abdul-Mageed Faris Alanee.
Quotes
- "The existence of Israel is an error which we must put right. This is our opportunity to wipe out the disgrace which is Israel which has been with us since 1948. Our goal is clear – to wipe Israel off the map", speaking on the Radio, 1 June 1967[10]
- "I hope there will be stability and security in all parts of Iraq and neighbouring Arab countries", he said. "I hope there will be national unity in Iraq by forgetting the past and looking for the future."[11]
References
- ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
- ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
- ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
- ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
- ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
- ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
- ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
- ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
- ^ "Iraq ex-president dies in Jordan" Archived 26 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Middle East Online, 24 August 2007, at age 91.
- ISBN 978-0-340-92934-6. Archived from the originalon 19 July 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
- ^ "Abdel-Rahman Aref, 91, Former Iraqi President, Is Dead". The New York Times. 25 August 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2010.