The Guardian reports a visit to Northern Ireland by a delegation of government officials including the Iraqi national security adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, who drew parallels between Iraqs and Northern Irelands sectarian and political disputes. He said: Although our conflict is on a different scale there are many similarities, particularly where there is a religious background laid on top of a political background.
Mr al-Rubaie said violence in Iraq might last years but insisted it was unsustainable and would fall in the coming months amid new security measures. “Eighty per cent of the country is secure … Millions of people go to work every day. Nine out of 10 ministries in Baghdad are not even in the international green security zone.
“It’s in the interest of everyone that Iraq prevails over terrorism. Otherwise it’s going to be a disaster worse than Chernobyl, a disaster of world war two magnitude … I know the war is unpopular … But it’s worth spending blood and treasure.”