Iraqi President Bahram Salih asserted that “our ambitions are prey to regional politics, and they may be dashed if our neighbours and our allies are at loggerheads… Iraq has no intention of being dragged into regional conflicts. Iraq intends to protect its own interests and will not allow itself to be used as a base to attack its neighbours, or as a battleground for their proxies”. He went on to say that “it is in our interest to act as a stabilising force and use our key strategic position and good relations with our neighbours to eradicate extremism… it is in everyone’s interest for the Middle East to overcome conflict”.