'I Never Feel Safe'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," August 10, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: The sheikh you are about to meet is risking his life and risking the lives of his family by going "On the Record." He is running for prime minister of Iraq. Two of his relatives were murdered after he spoke out in London on July 28th, but the sheikh will not be silenced.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Sheikh, sir thank you very much for joining us.
SHEIKH TARIK AL ABDULLAH, CANDIDATE FOR IRAQI PRIME MINISTER: Thank you.
VAN SUSTEREN: Welcome to the United States.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AL ABDULLAH: Thank you very much.
VAN SUSTEREN: I realize that right now Iraq is without electricity. There are lots of problems there -- or parts of it, rather, don't have electricity.
Is Iraq going to be better off in the long run because the United States went in in March 2003, or is this worse for Iraq?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AL ABDULLAH: Greta, I want to tell you one thing. The coalition, and specifically the United States, they did a lot of things for Iraq.
But they do not have the right partner inside Iraq to ensure the success of the United States during this year. If we forget the war at the beginning 2003 or 2004. But after that, if you spent a lot of money for the rebuilding of Iraq and to achieve a different situation, with electricity, with water, with a lot of opportunities, jobs for the youth.
But there are some people that block what you're trying to do.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Who are those people?
AL ABDULLAH: The alliance of our neighbor country.
VAN SUSTEREN: Meaning?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AL ABDULLAH: Iran.
VAN SUSTEREN: Iran. Iran is really your enemy.
AL ABDULLAH: Yes. I think they have a very negative effect in the political process. They do not want to see any success in Iraq.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: And how is in Iran doing that to Iraq now?
AL ABDULLAH: Through their representatives. We have a lot of Iranian representatives in our government.
VAN SUSTEREN: So if you become prime minister, is there something you can do about to sort of get rid of the Iranian influence in Iraq?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AL ABDULLAH: This is one of our main issues, and we want to have a long-term, positive relationship with all of our neighboring countries. We don't want anyone to have influence on our political process.
We want to have exactly a good relation, and positive relation. We should respect each other. I do not want to interfere in their internal situation. They should do the same.
VAN SUSTEREN: Sheikh, you supported or helped plan and support the surge. Is that right, sir?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AL ABDULLAH: Yes.
VAN SUSTEREN: Why?
AL ABDULLAH: Because I knew from this beginning that this conflict was created by a third party for his interest to see the Sunni and Americans fighting together.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Who is that third party?
AL ABDULLAH: The third part, I mean Iran.
VAN SUSTEREN: About two weeks ago on July 28th you were in London giving a speech, and it was entitled the "Lessons for fighting insurgency and winning the peace." It is about Iraq's Anbar awakening. You gave this speech about how to fight insurgency and win peace. What did you say about it?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AL ABDULLAH: I just say that we succeed to convince the coalition and specifically the marines to leave the tribes' leaders and tribe member to protect themselves from the insurgents and from Al Qaeda.
And this was done, and they start to believe that these people, they are not the enemy of the coalition, and they accept that can carry weapons, and they start to go together against Al Qaeda. And we succeeded in that.
VAN SUSTEREN: After your speech, something happened to two of your cousins who were advisers of yours, right?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AL ABDULLAH: Yes. One was my representative, and the other one was my nephew.
VAN SUSTEREN: What happened to them?
AL ABDULLAH: They killed them.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Who is "they"?
AL ABDULLAH: The insurgents because everyone thinks that there is still Al Qaeda in Alambar (ph). Myself, I don't believe that. There are some people who get paid from foreign countries to do such things inside our province to stop any leader in Iraq to talk.
VAN SUSTEREN: So you think this is Iran who is doing this in your province?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AL ABDULLAH: I am very confident.
VAN SUSTEREN: How do you know that?
AL ABDULLAH: Because if you see -- it is their prints, because the marines and the coalition, they get find many times the weapons who get used in the surge attacks is imported from Iran.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Your cousins who were murdered, what were the circumstances?
AL ABDULLAH: They were to move from a certain place to other place, and there was a bomb in the middle of the street. And when he passed by, it was exploded.
VAN SUSTEREN: How do you know it is related your giving the speech in London?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AL ABDULLAH: Because this is not the first time. This is the third accident. The first one, I lost two brothers and two cousins. And the second attack, I lost my brother -- there was a meeting at a conference in Fallujah with four marines, and this is the third one. Every two years, I have one accident.
VAN SUSTEREN: So this is no accident? This is murder of your representatives?
AL ABDULLAH: Yes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: And what makes you think it is in reaction to your going to London to talk essentially about building peace, working with the coalition? Why do you think is in direct relation to that?
AL ABDULLAH: Because always I try to explain that we should stop Iran to interfere in our political situation.
VAN SUSTEREN: So what makes you confident if you gave the speech in London, you went on the BBC, then two of your representatives, you cousin, get bombed. Now, you are here in the United States, and you are on FOX News Channel, and it is going to go all over. Why would you anyway feel safe or your relatives at this point?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AL ABDULLAH: I do not feel safe. I never feel safe. That is why I went to convince our allies, countries to protect us during the next election and to monitor the next election. We want to have a real elected government in Iraq.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you think there is a target on your back by Iran?
AL ABDULLAH: Yes, yes, I do. That is why I left Iraq in November 2003, because I received information that I would be attacked in Fallujah at 12:00 midnight. And I left at 11:00 where there is curfew to Jordan.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(END VIDEOTAPE)
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